Tangled Souls
by Tokine8696
Summary: On the night the Elric brothers attempted human transmutation, three of their childhood friends were used in a forbidden transmutation. Now the brothers and the three friends form a military group called the T:5s in order to search for a way to get their bodies back. How exactly are these five teens connected and where will their journey take them? EdxOC AlxOC
1. Fullmetal and the T:5s

"The Freezing alchemist, he's really here?" Mustang asked.

"We got word that he was recently spotted around Central City and I need you and your men to track him down." Fuhrer King Bradley ordered.

"Consider it done, sir."

"One more thing, our rising young stars are here as well. I'm placing them at your disposal."

"Excuse me Fuhrer Bradley, but are you referring to-"

"I am," Bradley replied, "the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric. Along with him are the Blasting Gun Alchemist, the Strata Alchemist and the Sapphire Soul Alchemist. This team is now under your command."

* * *

"Ah, damn it. The Colonel's never gonna let us out of here, is he? Edward asked.

"We already bought our tickets for Liore too," Alphonse added. "Does this mean we're not going?"

"I don't know, Al. For now let's just find the other and get this over with, okay?"

"Yeah, lead the way Brother."

* * *

"Hey, there he goes stop him!"

"Hold or I'll shoot!"

A flash of light shown on the criminal's activated arm, but it wasn't just a regular light. On his arms were bands that had transmutation circle carved into them. The last thing the soldiers saw were ice shards rushing towards them. The Freezer, an alchemist skilled in water alchemy, was the criminal of the day. Once he disposed of the soldiers in his way, he headed down an alley only to find two more soldiers expecting him. With a gun being pointed at him, the Freezer grabbed the soldier's arm and froze him in place. Then, he lunged at the other soldier, grabbing his face. At second later, the only thing recognizable about the soldier was the steam coming off his body.

"Water freezes, water boils, either way you're just as dead" the Freezer stated. Out of nowhere a spear was sent towards the Freezer, who was quick to avoid a blow. In the seconds to follow, a barrier rose from the ground to trap him but it also proved to be unsuccessful. "That's alchemy," he remarked as he noticed the blue sparks radiating from both objects.

"What a nasty thing to do," a figure from the shadows commented.

"You of all people should know great deeds require great sacrifice. Isn't that the law of Equivalent Exchange?" the Freezer noted.

"Save your breath, the laws of alchemy don't justify murder!" the shadow person replied, revealing themselves at last. The hidden person was wearing a black coat with its hood up, properly concealing their face. They also had gloves of the same color, transmutation circles visible to the naked eye. With a clap of the hands, the person transmuted a bat from the materials the spear offered. "Edward, now!" Just as the cloaked figure dictated, Edward Elric popped out and took a swing at the water alchemist. The mystery person also attempted to hit the Freezer but both attacks had been blocked.

In an attempt to escape, the Freezer hit Edward in the stomach and reached over to the other person. He used alchemy on the person's right arm, causing them to stumble backwards. Edward took the opportunity to hit the Freezer on the side of his head, however, the Freezer knew better. Anticipating the blow, he grabbed Edward's arm and threw him over to the mystery person's side.

"No, I had you!" the Freezer exclaimed. "Any water there should have been boiled!"

"If it's any consolation, you did manage to ruin my coat." the cloaked figure remarked. "As to why your little trick didn't work, well, you can thank my teammate for giving me the idea." After looking over the coat, the figure stood up with a sigh. "Well, that's the last of this coat." With that said, the person yanked off their coat to finally reveal himself, or rather herself.

"A young, gifted alchemist, one who has gloves with transmutation circles already present on them. An alchemist who can erect barriers and manipulate space," the Freezer inquired. "I know you, the leader of the T:5s. You're the Sapphire Soul Alchemist, Alyson Evans." He looked over to Edward, who was now standing by the young girl's side. "By the remark she made earlier I can only assume that you're Edward Elric. You sure you aren't the one in command of the T:5s? I mean she's only a girl, she can't possibly lead the most well known group in the military?"

"ONLY A GIRL! Tell me, can a pathetic girl do this?!" Alyson exclaimed as she slammed her hands into the ground, successfully creating a stone wall to entrap the criminal.

"I've heard the stories but still I never imagined this. The leader of the most skilled group in the military is a kid? And a girl to say none the less. So with that being said, the T:5s is a group composed out of little kids?" the Freezer said.

The "kid" remark was more than enough to set the two young alchemists off the edge. "Don't call us little kids!" the both screamed before transmuting a fist to send the poor criminal flying a few feet away.

"You know Ed, I don't think he was really talking about your height just now," Alyson said as she briefly looked over to the enraged alchemist.

"WELL EVEN IF HE WASN'T, HE STILL PISSED ME OFF!" Edward yelled

With all the transmutations and screaming being done, it would've been a surprise if none of the officials found where three were. Once they arrived, the officials took the freezer into custody.

"So you're the one we've been hearing all the stories about lately, the leader of the T:5s. You're as good as they say, thanks for the help," one of the soldiers said to Edward.

"You're welcome but I'm not the one you should be thanking," Edward replied. Lucky for them, Alyson was a few feet away, focused on repairing her coat with alchemy. Once she finished, she slipped it on and walked back towards the gathered military staff.

"Come on Ed, let's get going. We have to locate the others and catch the train."

The soldiers taking the Freezer were behind them, securing the handcuffs around his wrists. As they started walking, the Freezer noticed a couple of water puddles. To normal citizens, this went by unnoticed but to him it was his means of escape. On his palm was another transmutation circle. He fell to the ground, pressing his palm to the water, and managed to fill the alley with steam to conceal his escape.

"Damn it, now he really pissed me off," Edward exclaimed.

* * *

"Looks like you underestimated your opponent, Alyson," Mustang remarked.

"I can assure you it won't happen again, Colonel Mustang," Alyson answered.

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation and after a quick "come in" by the Colonel, the two remaining members of the T:5s came in; Katherine Piers and Brandon Piers. Along with them came a giant suit of armor, Alphonse Elric, the unofficial fifth member.

"We heard that you managed to capture the Freezer but he escaped," Alphonse said. " I'm glad to see that you made it back safely though."

"Yeah, we'll get him for sure next time now that we have an idea of what he's capable of," Alyson noted. "Now that I remember, thanks for telling me to expand my armband to resemble Ed's automail structure, Katy. If it weren't for your idea, my right arm would have been boiled up."

"No problem," Katherine replied. "That's my job, expert tech and weaponry maker. Brandon and I test all our weapons and equipment to make sure it functions but, since we aren't prodigy alchemists like some people we couldn't make sure it worked."

"Still sis, you do put a lot of your own creation to good, personal use. We may not be the best alchemists within the team but we've taken down as many bad guys as Alphonse, Edward, and Alyson," Katy's thirteen year old brother, Brandon added.

"Getting back to the matter at hand, who is this guy anyway?" Edward asked.

"You'd know that if you paid attention to the briefing like I told you to but, no you hand to go charging out there-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it alright? I'm sorry okay, whatever." Edward replied, cutting off the Colonel.

The Colonel sat at his desk looking at the annoyed fifteen year old boy sitting in front of him. With his reply, he couldn't help but smirk at the boy. His first lieutenant, Riza Hawkeye, couldn't suppress the smile on her face.

"Next time a superior tells you to pay attention, you might just want to try it. That also applies to the rest of you," the Colonel advised.

"Fine," all five teenagers responded.

"Now then, his name is Isaac McDougal, or as he was known back in the day, Isaac the Freezer. He's a former State Alchemist," Mustang stated.

"Former?" Edward questioned

"That's right, he served in the Ishvalan War. During that time, he gave us no sign that he had turned traitor. But after, he immediately resigned his commission and went into hiding. He's been working with the anti-establishment movement ever since. Taking him into custody is of top priority. Whether it's dead or alive, it's up to him now."

The teens just stared at one another in shock. The idea of killing someone was unsettling. They knew it would have to be done someday, but they weren't prepared. "No way, we're not killing anyone for you," Edward answered.

"And that's your choice. Your orders are to help us contain him, that's all." Mustang replied as he turned to look at the teens. "Off topic, have you guys found any leads to getting your bodies back to normal?"

All five alchemists were infuriated with his remark. "Yeah, we would if you ever gave us the time to look!" they all responded.

_SLAM!_

"Roy, how goes it? Heard you let them put you in charge of capturing the Freezer. That's one hell of a nasty assignment but hey it could be your chance to earn that promotion and move to Central. Oh, say it looks like my timing was perfect. You five must be the T:5s." The teens just stared in curiosity. How can someone run their mouth for that long? The individual in question walked towards Alphonse, shaking his hand and not appearing to let the action end any time soon. "Wow, it's an honor to meet the leader of the T:5s and one of the youngest state alchemists ever. You're a real legend around here. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, a pleasure."

"Um…you got it all wrong. You want Alyson Evans, I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist's younger brother, Alphonse." he answered as he gestured to the two oldest teens.

"What? You're the leader? And you're Fullmetal? I'm sorry I never thought you'd be so-" the Lt. Colonel started.

Brandon and Katy who were sitting on either side of Alyson and Edward on the couch sensed a bad aura around them. When the Lt. Colonel questioned Alyson's leadership, she had tuned him out. 'Go ahead, say little girl, I dare you!' was what she kept thinking. Nobody on the team liked to be acknowledged as a kid but, each had something else that managed to set them off. For Edward, it was people doubting his status because of his height while Alyson hated when her leadership was questioned because of her gender.

"Hughes, what are you doing here? Go home," Roy said.

"Actually, I'm here on official business," Hughes replied. "You, T:5s, I heard you don't have a place to stay, which means you'll have to come with me." He slipped his hand into the inside pocket of his coat, frightening the teens slightly before a picture was put in front of them. "My wife, Gracia, and my daughter, Elisia, we'd love to have you."

* * *

"Hi, Princess," Hughes exclaimed to his three year old daughter, Elisia. He picked her up and threw her into the air a couple of times, causing the little girl to laugh. "Look, we have guests. These are the members of the T:5s."

Elisia stared at the group for awhile, her index finger on her chin to show her in deep thought. She lunged herself to the girls, calling them "big sisters" repeatedly. Brandon was given the "little brother" label, already accustomed to it from his older sibling. However, when it came to the Elric brothers….

"Big brother," Elisia said as she pointed to Alphonse, before moving onto Edward. "Little brother."

"Nice to meet you, my name is Edward Elric. This is my younger brother, Alphonse Elric. Got that, _**younger brother**_?"

"But younger means little, you're little!"

Alphonse had to pick Edward up before he could lunge at the poor little girl. The company made their way inside, their eyes lighting up when they saw the food. "Don't be shy, eat as much as you want," Gracia said.

"Okay!" the five teens exclaimed. They didn't want to admit it but they hadn't had a home cooked meal in quite some time.

"Alphonse, how are you going to eat with that armor on?" Hughes asked. "Take it off, relax."

The teens stiffened and only Edward composed himself to answer. "He's not allowed to, he has to wear it all the time. It's part of his alchemy training, you know how it is. I'll eat enough for both of us!"

* * *

"Wow, this is a first. The Freezing Alchemist asking me to help him. As fun as that sounds, the Crimson Alchemist works alone."

"Kimblee, if we work together we can bring Bradley and his damn military down. You've seen the horrors we've done in Ishval, you were there damn it. You know the kinds of things Bradley ordered us to do, the kind of man he really is. That's why you killed all those officers, right? To send him a message of sorts," the Freezer acknowledged.

"I think you've got me all wrong," Kimblee said with a laugh. "My reasons aren't as sophisticated or important as revenge or honor. The reason why I killed those men….was because I could. It's that simple."

"That's too bad, Kimblee. It truly is too bad." With that said the Freezer left Kimblee's prison cell. "Keep up the good work," he remarked as his tipped the frozen guard over.

* * *

"Maes, dear, what's wrong?" Gracia asked as she approached her husband on the couch. "Can't sleep?"

"Guess not," was his only reply.

"I know what's on your mind. You're worried about the kids aren't you?" she asked.

"You do know what they call state alchemists, right? The dogs of the military, not the most popular bunch. I try to imagine what is must be like to have to endure that at their ages."

In the guest room, the boys were wide awake. Edward and Brandon stared at the ceiling from the comfort of their beds while Alphonse took a seat between the two beds.

"Ms. Gracia's keesh, it looked a lot like moms, huh?" Alphonse whispered over to his brother.

"Yeah, almost as good too," Edward replied.

"Really? In that case, I'm definitely adding it to the list of things I'm going to eat once I get my body back."

"Right, put it on there." Edward replied with a smile."Right near the top."

* * *

**The Next Day**

"We have a confirmed report that Douglas broke into Central Prison last night. Whatever he's up to he's growing bold, that means our time is short. Close off all roads; search ever inch of the city. When you see him, shoot on sight, that is an order from the Fuhrer himself. But if I find him first, he's mine," Mustang issued as he pulled out his white gloves.

* * *

"It looks like a steam explosion," Edward commented as the group looked down at the dead soldier. "Raise the temperature of water fast enough, it expands with the force of a bomb blast. And the human body is seventy percent water."

"Come on, let's go. We have to hurry before he hurts anyone else," Alyson replied.

* * *

"There, finished. It all starts tonight," the Freezer remarked as he finished drawing a transmutation circle. However, as soon as he finished, the Freezer was attacked with spikes that rose from the walls of the alley. Lucky for him, he was able to move out of the way.

"Impressive reflexes, Isaac. You were able to dodge my alchemy so easily."

"I know that voice. Is that you, Armstrong?"

With that question, one of the walls was blasted through. The impact of the crash caused a cloud of dust to rise. "Indeed, it is I, the Strong Arm Alchemist: Alex Louis Armstrong in the flesh."

"I've always wanted to chop that ego down to size," the Freezer responded as he sent water rushing towards Armstrong. Since the impact of the blast was heard for miles, the T:5s were able to locate the two and started running into the alleyway. Upon hearing the oncoming footsteps, the Freezer grabbed his canteen and threw it into the air. He used alchemy to change the state of the water from a liquid to steam.

"Water from his canteen, huh? Thanks for the quick save Katy," Alyson said.

"No problem," Katy replied as she released the shield she created from her own bracelet." Come on, he's getting away!"

The Freezer managed to escape to the roof of a nearby building. Afternoon sky quickly turning into night as he looked down at Central.

"It's been a long time, Freezer."

When he turned around he chuckled to himself. "Well, if it isn't the Flame Alchemist, Roy Mustang. Finally decided to come out and play?

"You can make this easier for both of us, I'd rather not fight an old war buddy," Mustang replied.

"War buddy? Please don't flatter yourself. I made no friends in Ishval, only military bastards and their dogs!" With a snap of his fingers, Roy sent a burst of flames towards the Freezer. As a reaction, the Freezer broke a water pipe to put out the flames. "When water meets flame, the fire goes out," he replied as he created an ice bridge, only to land in an alleyway. He saw that the transmutation circle he had drawn earlier was now covered with debris from his fight with the Major.

"Stop right there!" Edward said. "We were wondering what you were doing in this alley way so we came to check it out. And bingo!"

"There's nowhere to run this time," Alphonse said as he appeared at the other side of the alley, blocking any opportunity for escape. Alyson, Katy and Brandon were watching from above, anticipating the Freezer's move towards the rooftop.

"Clearly, but whose running," and with that the transmutation circle was activated.

When Edward turned around, he saw the same activation reaction in four other places. "An alchemic reaction on this scale, but how?"

"Impossible, unless….you don't think he has-" Alphonse started.

"A Philosopher's Stone," Edward finished. He suddenly felt a change in the atmosphere, the temperature dropping rapidly. Ice was slowly staring to build along the walls. "He's freezing all the moisture in the air."

"Edward Elric, you are just one of the T:5s that has sworn their life to be the dog of the military. Tell me, do you really know the ones you serve or what their true plans are?" the Freezer asked.

"Who cares, it's not my or the team's problem."

"Don't be a fool. He'll ruin us all, I'm only doing what needs to be done."

"I told you that I don't care!" Alphonse created a bridge to get over the newly formed ice wall. Brandon also came down from the rooftops by using his telekinesis ability and taking a piece of the rooftop to stand on. Once Brandon was on the ground, both he and Al engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Freezer. Brandon managed to strike a blow on the criminal, causing him to stumble past Edward and hit the bars that surrounded a nearby pond.

"Alright, nice work Al and Brandon," Alyson said as she and Katy descended from the roof top.

"But we still have to stop his alchemy," Brandon replied.

Edward wasn't paying attention to the occurring conversation. He had only one thing in mind and he wasn't going to stop until he had it in his grasp. "So where is it? You have a Philosopher's Stone, don't you?"

"What are you talking about?" the Freezer asked.

"I won't ask again. Where is it?"

"What are you going to do kid, you're out of your league!" Suddenly, all the water from the pond rose up, already turning into ice. The Freezer jumped onto the rising ice, preparing to finish what he started. The T:5s saw that the ice was expanding significantly in width and decided to step back before they got caught up in this mess.

"Stand back and prepare yourself for a display of Armstrong alchemy."

"He's all yours, Major," Edward yelled as they ran past. The Major activated his alchemy through the circles on his fingerless gloves. He punched the ice, successfully breaking a large piece. But as fast as that occurred the ice began forming in another direction. "What the heck are you doing?" Edward screamed. "You're making it worse!"

Before the Major had a chance to answer, a loud blast caused everyone to turn. "That ice walls, they're merging. If they all meet in the middle….damn it, it's Central Command. He's going to freeze it over," Alyson noted.

"Major, Al, Alyson, and I will try to slow him down. Can you, Katy and Brandon handle the transmutation circles?" Edward asked.

"Consider them erased, we're on it."

* * *

"Fuhrer King Bradley, for your cold blooded actions, I condemn you to a frozen Hell," the Freezer remarked.

"Not so fast," Edward yelled as he transmuted the ground to lift him up in the air, landing safely on the ice with Alyson and Alphonse in tow. The Freezer took part of the ice structure and used alchemy to send it flying towards the three teenagers. "Two can play at that game!" Edward added as he broken the entire section of ice and the ice the Freezer stood on.

Isaac used a chuck of ice to transmute steps to get back onto the ice. When he got back on, he reached for Alphonse's head as he tried to move away. "Too slow!" However, what the Freezer tried to boil was not human flesh but Alyson's metal cover arm. She had stepped in last minute but the force of the transmutation and the energy she used in hunting the criminal down sent her backwards into Al's chest. She managed to kick the Freezer away and ran towards the brothers as Edward handed Al his helmet back. Once she joined them, she collapsed to her knees.

"Equivalent Exchange is really starting to be a pain in the ass," Alyson muttered as she tried to even out her breathing.

"Equivalent Exchange, huh? I had heard the rumors about this but you just proved them to be true. The moving armor, it could only be possible if the soul were attached to it. You lost your arm and your brother, he lost his entire body. The girl, her whole body has been altered, causing her to react differently when she uses her abilities to their fullest or too much that you run low on energy. I see, it all makes sense. You fools committed the ultimate taboo!" the Freezer stated. "The foolish brothers attempted human transmutation while the stupid girl opened the Spirit Realm, alchemy's two greatest unforgivable sins!"

Alyson's eyes narrowed in anger and frustration, anger towards person who forced her into the Spirit Realm, dragging Katy and Brandon with her as energy sources for the act. The boys had attempted human transmutation on that same day, not far from where Alyson's tragedy started. Her anger would not cease until she found a way to restore her friend's bodies back to normal, each one of them. That way none of them would have to carry the burden of their accidents. She stood up, still feeling weak but she wasn't about to let this low life take pride for bringing up two painful memories. She could feel a tear sliding down her cheek. With her head down and her bangs covering her eyes she said, "You know, there are some lines you really shouldn't cross." She then ran at the Freezer in full force and punched him square in the face, causing him to fall to his side. He then sent ice shards at her, forcing her to fall backwards. Edward caught her and set her down on the ice, making sure she would rest. Alphonse managed to break the ice shards and kicked the Freezer on his side, causing him to fall off the ice structure.

Alphonse created a safe pathway to get off the ice while Edward offered Alyson a hand to get up, which she accepted. Once they managed to get on the ground, they saw that the Freezer had blood dripping from his right arm. "Give it up, there's no water for you to use here," Edward said.

"You've forgotten something. I've got all the water I need….seventy percent of my body." The three were taken back by his reply. The next thing they knew, the Freezer turned his blood into solid rods, shooting them towards them. The rods pierced through Alyson's left shoulder, causing her to, again, fall to her knees.

"Aly," Edward shouted. He broke the rods that had attacked Alyson as he watched her apply pressure to her bleeding shoulder. As this happened, all four ice structures met at Central Command, already starting to freeze it over. The Freezer walked away laughing, knowing he had won.

"Alyson! Alyson!" Alphonse said trying to get a reaction from her.

"Come on, we're going after him," she said as she gripped the rods sticking out of her shoulder. "I'm not done," and with that she pulled out the rods causing blood to spill out from the wound, "not even close."

* * *

Roy walked toward one of the ice structures, still soaking wet from his encounter with the Freezer. Still mad too, not to forget. Once he was in front of the ice he snapped his right hand, sending a ball of fire of the ice. "What do you think of my flames now, you bastard!"

To the side, Lieutenant Hawkeye stood with a briefcase full of the Colonel's gloves. "When will he learn. It's bad enough that he's useless on rainy days."

* * *

The Freezer stumbled as he walked into an alleyway. He had to keep his hand on the wall to support himself up. When he looked forward, he saw the person he wanted to see. "Bradley, how perfect can this be." He transmuted his blood into a spear and charged towards the Fuhrer, ready to give the death blow.

It never came though. The Freezer stood behind the Fuhrer and looked at his hand. When had he drawn his sword? That thought would never be answered. He collapsed and bled to death, a small red orb managed to fall forward and evaporate into the air.

* * *

Mustang managed to break the ice in the alleyway with his flames. "Major, go now!" With that the Major punched the ground with his alchemy and destroyed the transmutation circle. All the other transmutation circles were now taken care of by Katy and Brandon, with the help of the Major and Colonel.

* * *

Edward, Alphonse and Alyson started in disbelief at the scene in front of them. The Freezer dead, with soldiers around him ready to take him away. That isn't what shocked them though. "General Bradley, you're here?" Edward asked.

"Ah, yes. Well done, T:5s. I came out to see if I could lend a hand and to think that I'd actually be the one to catch him. If nothing else, this should make an exciting story for my son."

* * *

**The Next Day**

"Oh, is that a cold I hear?" Hughes said after hearing Mustang give a small sneeze. "Never mind, from what I'm told you're the man of the hour."

"No, I just destroyed the transmutation circles," Mustang replied."The Fuhrer is actually the one who brought down McDougal."

"Sure, but the Fuhrer is telling everyone it was you, so congratulations!" Howards continued as he notice Roy's face. "Oh, so it's like that? Suit yourself, but just some advice. Next time a superior gives you the credit for something you didn't do, you just might want to follow through."

* * *

The T:5s were in a hospital room, Alyson's hospital room to be precise, in Central hospital. She was there to get treated for her shoulder. Everyone else managed to get out with a few scratches, bumps and bruises which was nothing to them.

"You know, we never did figure out if he had a Philosopher's Stone or not," Alphonse stated.

"No, but maybe it'll say something in the official report," Edward replied.

"If he didn't have it, we'll just keep searching," Alyson joined in. "Agreed?"

* * *

"Oh, I see….so Isaac's dead. It's a shame and I had such high hopes for him. What about the Philosopher's Stone?" a woman said as she talked on the phone. "It appears he overused it." She looked over to her side and noticed that her comrade was eating rather loudly, frustrating her as she tried to listen to the other side of the line. "Gluttony, can you chew quieter, I'm on the phone," the woman remarked. "Yes, everything is going well in Liore...it all starts very soon."

* * *

AN: And that does it for the first chapter. Idk when I'll have the second chapter up because finals are coming up so I have to be studying but once summer kicks in expect more updates. Anyway, review! But have mercy on me because I first wrote this Fanfic when I was a freshman and now I'm a Junior so I'm sorta writing and editing this story at the same time.


	2. The First Day

Chapter 2: The First Day

"Sister, the stories about this priest in Liore, you think they're true?" Brandon asked.

"The ones about his miracles?" Katy responded. "They say that he can transmute flowers out of thin air, right? Could just be sleight of hand, some cheap trick like that."

"But if it's not?" Alphonse added, looking over to his brother.

"Right, if it's not then I suppose all that leaves is the real thing," Edward answered.

* * *

"The Celestial Stone that destroyed the city of Xerxes in one night; the Grand Elixir, sealed away by the Eastern Sage. It goes by different names but it's always the same thing, some kind of object that amplifies alchemy. That's the Philosopher's Stone. If we could just get our hands on it somehow, I might be able to get your body back and we could restore you guys back to normal," Edward said as he looked over to Alyson from his wheelchair. She gave him a small smile but it never reached her tired eyes. He turned back to the book in his lap, skimming over the pages and silence radiated through the open fields. "DAMN BOOKS! THEY TELL US EVERYTHING BUT WHERE TO FIND IT!"

* * *

"Aly, I've got a good feeling about this," Edward said.

Alyson turned from the window she was looking through, settling in for the train ride to Liore. When she looked at her friend's faces her hopes increased. When she looked at her best friend and realized he had called her by her childhood nickname, she felt like things could truly go back to normal. "Me too."

* * *

_10 years ago in Resembool_

"Ed, Al, you have a visitor," Trisha said as she entered her husband's study, noticing her five and four year old sons. "Ed, you know better than to draw on the floor."

"It's not drawing, mom," Edward replied as he looked at the array in front of him. "It's alchemy, watch." In the next instant, the five year old transmuted a small bird from the hard wood floor.

"Did your dad teach you that?"

"How can he teach us anything if he's not here," Edward stated.

"Right, we read about it in these books," a four year old Alphonse added, motioning to the stack of books they brought down from the bookcase.

"I can't believe you've done this," Trisha commented.

"We're sorry, did we mess up?" Edward asked, the expressions on his brother and his own face dropping slightly.

"No, it's great," the young mother beamed. "You sure do take on after your father, my little geniuses. Now come on, Aly's waiting in the living room for you two."

"Okay, we're coming." With that said, the two boys ran off to meet their friend. The two boys definitely looked like brothers, no getting around it. They were always by each other's side and their unique shades of eye color linked them immediately. Edward and Alphonse could be told apart through some aspects. Age obviously being one but height wise, Al had two inches over his old brother, much to Edward's displeasure. When the boys reached the living room, they saw one of the kids they grew up with. She had short chocolate brown hair and side bangs. She wore a red sleeveless dress with a pink undershirt and brown shoes.

"Hey Aly, did you come here for your alchemy lesson?" Alphonse asked.

The five year old Alyson looked up, her brownish-blue eyes meeting the brothers' gazes."Yeah, you guys promised to teach me alchemy and I didn't have anything to do now so I came over," she answered.

"Okay then, follow us." The boys proceeded to head back to their father's study. Alyson couldn't help but smile at the amount of books in the room, her love for reading sparkling in her eyes. Edward couldn't suppress a laugh as he looked at his best friend search through the books.

"Well, let's get to work."

The children loved studying together because they learned more from and about each other. The Elric brothers had all the encouragement they needed from their mother while Alyson's love of learning pushed her forward. From that moment on, the kids were obsessed with alchemy, even dragging Katy into the lessons. But then in the summer of that same year, an epidemic swept the country, taking the Elric's mother. This tragedy, they would later see, would mark the beginning of worse events.

* * *

"Hey brother, I'm hungry...aren't you?" Alphonse asked as he looked at the tombstone before him. "And it's cold here, let's go home please. Once dad comes back everything-"

"Don't even talk about him!" Edward yelled, pulling his legs closer to his chest. "That bastard doesn't care about us...he's not our dad, he didn't even come to mom's funeral." The boys couldn't find a way to stop staring at their mother's grave. It only seemed like yesterday that they were living a comfortable life, and all they wanted was to have more time. "You know, there might be a way to bring mom back."

"But I thought it said in all the books that using alchemy to make people was something you're not supposed to do ever."

"That's right, that's why it'll be our secret," Edward answered as he stood up from the grass.

"I thought we'd find you here."

The boys turned to the entrance of the cemetery, coming face to face with Katy and Alyson. Edward sighed when he saw their depressed expressions, not really in the mood to receive any more pity. "What do you two want?"

"You know, my grandma says that it's not good to cry for those who have died because it makes them sad in the other life," Katy said, not at all taken back by Edward's harsh tone.

"We know, but it's just really hard to understand the fact that she's gone," Al answered with a new batch of tears spilling from his eyes.

"You guys can always come and eat dinner with my family," Alyson said. "You aren't alone, you're not the only ones hurting. Your mom was like my aunt, she took care of me when my parents went to the wars to act as doctors. We all loved your mom, and she'll always live on in our hearts and memories. You guys have our family's support. Our families will help take care of you. Now come on, before I go run to my mom saying not to make any dinner for you."

The brothers stared at her, not knowing what to say. Al looked over to Katy who nodded, reassuring them that Alyson's words were true. "Don't be stupid you two, we worry about you. That's what friend's do," she said." I have to go home for dinner myself, but don't you two forget that you can count on my family too."

Katy hugged the brothers before leaving, both of them thanking her for the support. When she walked away, the Elric brothers looked to the left to see Alyson waiting for them outside the cemetery. They started walking in her direction, but as soon as they were close enough to her, Alyson broke into a run. "Last one there's a shorty!" she yelled.

"Hey, why do we have to do that?" Edward yelled. "Hold on." He didn't want to admit it, but Alyson's words managed to cheer him up a bit. However, he still wanted his own family back so this momentary comfort would disappear as time moved on. Still, this moment also let him realize that any time Alyson was around, he managed to laugh and smile more than usual. Alphonse had once told him that it was a side of him he rarely let anyone see; a more sensitive side. Edward didn't understand what he was feeling, but he supposed that he would understand when he was older.

* * *

_6 years later…_

"Guys, I know we're learning about alchemy and all, but you have to stop reading those books during class," Alyson scolded. "You have to start paying attention to the lessons."

"Come on, you have to admit that reading during class works to your benefit," Edward countered. "You learn more so it puts you ahead."

"Sure it is, but you always end up getting in trouble for it," Katy added.

"Don't be so hard on them sister," an eight year old Brandon said as he held his sister's hand. "School ends in a few days so they can study nonstop."

And so the brothers began searching for the key that would unlock the secrets of human transmutation to bring their mom back to life. They trained with an alchemy teacher alongside Alyson to prepare their bodies as well as their minds. It took years of constant effort but the boys wanted to see their mom's smile again. They wanted to go back to their lives with her and the way it used to be...that's what drove them day and night.

* * *

_2 years later_

"Water: 35 liters, Carbon: 20 kilograms, Ammonia: 4 liters, Lime: 1.5 kilograms, Phosphorus: 800 grams, Salt: 250 grams, Salt-Peter: 100 grams, Sulfur: 80 grams, Fluorine: 7.5 grams, Iron: 5 grams, Silicon: 3 grams," Edward said, listing off the ingredients in the water filled pan. "Right, now the constructional formula and finally some soul data." The brothers took a small knife and made a cut on a finger, dropping some blood into the mix. "Okay, this is it Al."

They placed their palms onto the large array on the floor, watching it light up as their transmutation was activated. However, the once bright blue sparks turned blood red all around the boys. "Ed, something doesn't feel right," Alphonse whispered. When Edward turned to look at his brother, he saw that the transmutation had started rebounding on his body, deconstructing Al piece by piece. He felt his own left leg break apart from his body, yelling in pain while trying to reach out for his little brother.

"AL!"

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

In the same instant he tried reaching out to his brother, Edward saw himself in a sort of white void. He looked in every direction for Alphonse but only a doorway stood behind him. He turned back to the front, his mind utterly confused and blank as the space around him. "Wait...what was I doing? I just-"

"Hello."

Edward focused his eyes on the apparition in front of him, asking himself if it had been there before. The figure could have been a human, but it's nearly faceless, white body immediately emphasized the opposite. "Who are you?"

"I'm so glad you asked," the white human figure exclaimed. "I'm called by many names. I'm the World, I'm the Universe, I'm God, I am Truth, I am All, I am One, and I am also you." Its tone shifted from light-hearted to serious, frightening young Edward. "You have dared to knock on the door, now the door has opened." Small, black hands reached out from the opening door to grasp Edward. The small alchemist screamed as he was dragged into the door, reaching out to Truth for salvation. "Quiet child, this is what you wanted, isn't it? I will show you the truth." Small tidbits of his life flashed before him in a film-like style. He saw it all; his mom, his brother, his friends, his teacher. Then, it shifted into a mix of learned alchemy theories and his own conclusions. It was like all the information in the world was being poured into his brain all at once. His head felt like it was about to burst but for an instant it all became clear...the truth of everything.

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

"How was it?" Truth asked when the little boy returned.

"I see, my theory of human transmutation wasn't wrong...it can be done, it's possible," Edward stated as he turned to walk over to the door. "It's still just missing something, all the answers I need are right here. The truth about human transmutation, please you have to show it to me again."

"I can't do that, I've already shown you all I can for the toll you've paid."

"Toll, what toll?"

"This, surely you knew," Truth replied as he stood up. When he took one step, his pale white leg sparked and a flesh colored one replaced it. Edward looked down at his left leg and saw that it was gone. "It's the law of Equivalent Exchange, right young alchemist?"

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

'Where am I?' Alyson thought. 'I don't remember anything that happened before.' When she opened her eyes and the scenery became clear, she hoped that she was having a nightmare. She saw her two friends, Katy and Brandon, each lying in their own pools of blood. She looked over herself and saw that she wasn't hurt herself but that she and her friends were on some kind of array. Slowly, Alyson dragged herself to each Piers sibling, checking and confirming all vitals.

"Well, well, I see that you've woken up," a strange man voiced. "You three seemed to have made my job easier by not putting up much of a fight to get you here."

"Who are you?" Alyson asked, looking over the man's lab coat.

"That's of no importance, let's just say I'm here to show you the purpose of your life," the man answered. "Thanks to the sacrifice of your friend's here, their energy will pave the way to an even greater resource that you aren't aware of. In due time, each of your abilities will become stronger…you'll be prime candidates one day."

The man stepped forward and touched the floor with his hands, the floor glowing bright as a gray eye opened up under the kids. Alyson looked around and knew right away what was about to happen…human transmutation. She tried to wake up the siblings by calling out their names, but soon enough she was screaming from her own pain. The screams ceased only to be replaced by the girl vomiting her own blood. After what seemed like her entire blood supply was now in the open, she lost her consciousness and felt her own energy being drained away.

Each of the three kids met Truth that night, understanding the information given to them. The Piers paid their toll with their own energy, meaning that they would require immediate medical attention if they were to be found. They would need to spend a lot of their time building up their bodies again, but exhaustion would always plague them and weaken their health. The only difference between these three was what Alyson saw. She met Truth, yes, but when she was thrown through the doorway, she saw the death and despair of others. Their anguished souls tried to reach out to her and she recognized this place from reading her late father's books; it was the Spirit Realm. One soul managed to take a hold of her hand, her own soul being reconstructed at her side.

The girl's soul smiled, "Don't worry you'll be alive, but you'll lose half of your essence as toll for what you've seen. You're a special little girl…you just don't know how much."

* * *

_Back to the Present…_

"Roy, you're still in Central?" Hughes asked from his desk.

"For now at least. They should be sending me back to Eastern command soon."

"Well now, aren't you the lucky one. Next time you come here I expect you to have made Brigadier General, you got that?" Hughes added, pushing himself out of his chair. He led Mustang out of his office after showing him the official report of the Freezer case. "So how are the kids doing? Keeping them out of trouble?"

"I'm their commanding officer, not their father."

Hughes chuckled to himself at his friend's response. "Why did you decide to let them be state alchemists, Roy? They're still children, you know. Military life isn't easy; they're going to have to go through hell someday. You and I have certainly seen our share."

'Hell, huh? Oh, they've seen Hell, alright. All of them and plenty of it.'

* * *

_4 years ago_

"Lieutenant Colonel, we've found the other three children in question," Hawkeye stated. "It seems that they also survived the damage done to them. They're currently all gathered at the Evans' residence."

"Are their families present," Mustang asked.

"Only the Piers parent's are present," Hawkeye answered. "Mrs. Evans was made guardian of the Elric brothers and she has her own daughter."

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

"This is a surprise to say the least," Mustang said as he looked over the damaged children. Edward solemnly sat in his wheelchair, missing his right arm and left leg. The other three were covered in bandages and wore the same expressions. "I had heard reports that there were brilliant alchemists living in this town so I came to check them out. The last thing I'd expected to find was a boy skilled enough to attempt human transmutation or advanced enough to bond a soul to a suit of armor." He turned to observe the other children to his left. "And to add to it, we find three kids who were able to survive being used in a human transmutation of that caliber at their age. I'd say they're more than qualified to become state alchemists."

"If you choose to accept, you'll have privileges of accessing data that is strictly forbidden to the public," Mustang described. "However, you will be ordered to serve in times of national emergency. Given time, you may find a way to get your bodies back or even more." He looked over each of the kids, sighing as he collected himself. "It's you choice. Are you going to sit in self pity or take the opportunity the military can give you? If you all believe that there's a chance in getting your bodies back then take that chance and move forward, no matter the cost. Even if the road ahead lies in a river of blood."

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

"Will they be coming?" Hawkeye asked as she and her superior prepared to leave.

"They'll come."

"Those kids, I've never seen anyone look so defeated," she replied softly.

"That's what you saw?" Mustang questioned. "No, there was fire in their eyes."

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

"Are you sure you won't regret this?" Mrs. Evans asked as she looked down at Edward.

"My mind's made up," the young boy said from the operating bed. "How long will the surgery and rehabilitation take?"

"I'd say about three years more or less."

Edward closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'll do it in one."

"You'll have yourself spitting blood, you know that?" Mrs. Evan questioned.

Edward nodded in acceptance before turning to his brother. "Al, just hang in there a little longer okay? Then we're gonna get you your body back, I promise."

"Yeah," he replied, turning to Alyson who stood at her mom's side, "and while we're at it we'll get yours back too."

"Alright then," Alyson agreed.

* * *

_A year later…_

A twelve tear old Alyson and a twelve year old Edward were sparring outside of Alyson's house. The two eleven year olds, Alphonse and Katy, sat by in the grass and watched the battle go on. Nine year old Brandon was off to the side, practicing his newly mastered alchemic talent.

"Now Edward, I recall you saying that a girl couldn't beat you," Alyson stated. She had thrown the eldest Elric onto the ground and now claimed a seat on his back.

"Yeah, and it's true," Edward groaned. "You could start acting more like a girl and less like a psychopathic, tomboyish gear head."

"Being a 'psychopathic, tomboyish gear head' has its benefits so its fine, But as long as you're wearing my automail and we're searching for a way to get our bodies back you're stuck with me whether you like it or not."

Alphonse and Katy couldn't help but smirk at Alyson's comment which had cause Edward's face to become one of fear. They knew that Edward had a secret liking towards the young girl, but, at the moment, he did a good job of hiding it.

The kids had all changed during the course of a year, they became stronger and closer, not to mention their appearances did change with age. Alyson still had her same brown-black hair, this time passing her shoulders. She wouldn't openly admit it, but she had master alchemy thanks to Edward's constant help. Edward himself let his golden hair grow out, now wearing it in a braid. Alphonse still occupied his armor, but the kids still treated him like a regular boy, much to his content. Katy had grown her red-brown hair to about shoulder length and was a wiz in weaponry. She also learned a lot about automail thanks to Alyson and Mrs. Evans. Her little brother, Brandon, found himself with chin length brown hair; this fact alone giving Katy a reason to ruffle his hair whenever possible. He tested out his telekinesis ability on a daily basis, it was a gift from Truth so to speak.

"Well, I think we're ready," Edward said.

* * *

"It's unusual to have you here to observe the examinations, Sir."

"Yes, but I heard that a group of children were taking the exam. Thought I'd come out and see what all the excitement was about."

The group of kids watched as a man in his late 50s walked in the room and stood on a platform in front of them.

"Who's he?" Edward asked.

"You idiot, that's his Excellency, Fuhrer King Bradley," a soldier answered.

"Ah, would that be a steel prosthetic?" the Fuhrer asked as he looked over at Edward.

"It happened during the Eastern Conflict."

"I see, so you had a rough time of it in Ishval. Alright, you may begin the examination," the Fuhrer announced.

"Do you need anything to draw a transmutation circle with?" another soldier asked.

"No, we got it covered," Alyson answered holding up her right hand, showing her fingerless gloves had transmutation circles. Edward was the only one to clap his hands and perform alchemy without a circle, amazing the officials gathered. The four alchemists each created a spear from the ground, pointing the blade forward.

"Quite impressive," the Fuhrer remarked. The kids charged at the General, pointing their weapons at him. The only things stopping them were them were the several guns pointed at their heads.

"You know, this might be a good chance to kill a VIP," Edward said. "You might want to rethink how you conduct these examinations."

"That's good, you kids really have nerves of steel," the Fuhrer responded. "But, I'd say you still have much to learn about the world. You put on quite a good show, my naive young alchemists. Good luck with the rest of your exams."

The four kids looked at the broken ends of their spears, confusion visible on their faces as the asked the same question. "When did he draw his sword?"

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

"These silver pocket watches serve as proof of your state certification. This envelope contains your certificate of appointment. And it looks like our Fuhrer has knocked out a sense of irony," Mustang said.

"Why's that?" Edward asked.

"Nothing. Congratulations, you've officially become a dog of the military," he added, before handing each their own envelope.

_By order of Fuhrer King Bradley, this certificate certifies that Katherine Piers has been state certified and has been appointed to the name of Blasting Gun._

_By order of Fuhrer King Bradley, this certificate certifies that Alyson Evans has been state certified and has been appointed to the name of Sapphire Soul._

_By order of Fuhrer King Bradley, this certificate certifies that Brandon Piers has been state certified and has been appointed to the name of Strata._

_By order of Fuhrer King Bradley, this certificate certifies that Edward Elric has been state certified and has been appointed to the name of Fullmetal._

"Fullmetal?" Edward questioned.

"Yes, with the commission also comes a second name by which all four of you will be known as," Mustang replied.

"Fullmetal, it's nice and intimidating. I think it'll suit me just fine."

"If we add Alphonse into the mix, that makes five of us," Katy added. "Why don't we go with the T:5s as our combined name?"

* * *

_Present Day_

"Hey, wake up. We're almost there," Al called out as he nudged his brother's sleeping form.

Edward opened his eyes and looked out the moving train's window. "So that's Liore?" he said, seeing the city in the distance. 'Could it really be there, the key to finally getting out bodies back?'

"The Philosopher's Stone."

* * *

AN: And there's chapter 2 for ya! Took me all of Friday night and Sunday morning to finish. I'll try working on the next chapter in the next couple of days but as I said before, updates might be slow because I have to study for finals. Luckly, I have a three day weekend coming up so I'm hoping to get in another update. Thanks to **AnoifEaterofOrcs**, **ImJustStupid**, and **ork123 **for following the story, hope I didn't disappoint. Please review, I could really use the feedback considering its my first fic!


	3. The City of Heresy

**Chapter 3: The City of Heresy**

"God's children that live on this land, pray in faith and all shall be saved," a voice projected to every radio in Loire.

"So you guys street performers or something?" a man asked as he worked his concessions stand, causing Edward to spit out his drink onto the countertop. Katy and Brandon gawked at Edward waiting for some outrageous reaction while Alyson and Alphonse sighed.

"Seriously, do we look like street performers to you?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, that's why I asked."

Alyson noticed the anger taking over Edward's face and fear crept up on her formerly calm attitude. In order to avoid any confrontation between the short alchemist and the old man, she did the only thing she could. "Come on guys, let's go." When Alphonse stood up, he accidently knocked over the radio that rested on the stand's canopy. The radio broke into tiny fragments and everyone looked at it in shock.

"Easy, I didn't mean anything by the question," the man said.

"Sorry, it was accident." Katy replied, trying to appease the man. "Don't worry, we'll fix it."

"How's that possible? It's smashed to hell."

"Watch and learn gramps, Al's got this one covered," Alyson responded. The newly assembled crowd watched as Alphonse drew a transmutation circle on the ground, the broken radio lying in the center. "Okay, here goes." He held his hands above the array and in a split second a blue light emitted from the ground. Once the light died down, everyone looked at the radio now good as new.

"There, see? How's that?" Edward asked.

"It's amazing, a miracle. You've been touched by the Sun god just like Father Cornello," the man replied

"Touched by who, now?"

"What my brother's trying to say is that it's not a miracle, its alchemy," Alphonse added

"Oh, so you guys are alchemists? I've heard of them," another man from the crowd stated.

"So, you've heard of us right? We're the T:5s," Edward proudly exclaimed.

"The T:5s huh? Yeah, I recognize that name. You guys are the youngest team in the military," another citizen called out.

"Yup, that's us," Alyson answered. "I'm the Sapphire Soul Alchemist. Fullmetal and I were both state certified at age twelve, so we sort of run this group."

Edward closed his eyes and crossed his arms, a smug expression on his face that anyone could identify as a bit of arrogance. "Wow, so you're the Fullmetal Alchemist, the young prodigy we've heard about?"

The three remaining teens held back their laughter as poor Alphonse was mobbed with praises. The armor was the immediate trigger, as always. "No, um…it's not me. That's him," he responded, pointing over to Edward.

"What, you mean it's the little guy over there?"

"3…2…1…" Brandon whispered

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A LITTLE! COME SAY THAT TO MY FACE IF YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH!"

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"So what's with this guy on the radio?" Brandon asked.

"That's our leader, Father Cornello," the heavily frightened concessions man answered. After Ed's outburst, the teens couldn't really blame him. "We were lost until he came to town and started teaching us the ways of the God Leto. He grants immortality to the faithful and can ever resurrect the dead. His miracles are proof to what he says is true."

"So this guy's claiming that he can bring people back from the dead. Now that's something we gotta see," Edward said.

* * *

The teens blended into the gathered assembly at the town's center. They observed the spectacle the so called miracle worker put on. The townspeople were in awe as the young alchemists came up with the proper conclusion. "So that's it, huh? What do you think?" Edward asked, turning to Alyson.

"There's nothing to think, it's alchemy. No doubt about it," the brown haired alchemist replied. The team watched the priest transmute simple a simple flower into a decorative glass version of itself.

"But somehow he's ignoring the law of Equivalent Exchange. He should've been able to transmute the flower to something of an equal mass," Edward added.

"He's changing organic matter into inorganic matter. He shouldn't be able to do that, unless…"

"Yeah, there's just one way," Edward finished. He looked carefully at the priest's left hand and noticed a red stone. "Bingo."

* * *

The city's church bells were ringing, signaling noon to all the inhabitants. Inside, there was a girl with pale skin and purple eyes. She had black hair that nearly reached her waist. She wore a simple white dress and kneeled in front of the altar. Apart from her eye color, the other unique trait about her was that her bangs were a pinkish color.

"Oh merciful God, please hear me. Hear my prayers, I beg of you. Please…please bring him back," she said.

"So, this is the almighty Leto?"

The girl was surprised to hear another voice. She got up and saw the T:5s standing in front of her, Edward walking in towards the girl. "Welcome, are you guys interested in Letoism?" the girl asked.

"Nope, can't say we are. We're not really the religious type," Edward replied.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. To know God is to know hope," the girl added. "If we believe in divine grace, and through him all things are possible. If you believe…I'm sure God can make you grow taller."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Edward exclaimed.

"Easy brother, she's just trying to help," Alphonse added as he held Ed back from brutally attacking the girl.

"What about bringing the dead back to life?" Edward questioned."Do you believe that's possible too?"

"Yes."

Alyson couldn't help but feel bad for the girl. How brainwashed was she? Alyson looked over at Katy, who nodded her head and stepped forward as she pulled a book from her pocket. "Water, 35 liters. Carbon, 20 kilograms. Ammonia, 4 liters. Lime, 1.5 kilograms. Phosphorus, 800 grams. Salt, 250 grams. Salt-Peter, 100 grams and various other trace elements," Katy read off.

"This list represent the exact chemical make-up of the human body for the average adult. It's been calculated down to the last microgram but still there's no record stating that a human was created and brought to life," Brandon added.

"So, you're telling us that what can't be done with modern science can be done with prayer?" Edward retaliated.

"Lift thy voice to God, and the prayers of the faithful shall be answered," the girl responded.

"I did forget to mention something," Katy interrupted. "All those ingredients I read off, down at the market a kid could buy every one of them for the spare change in his pocket."

"As it turns out, humans are pretty cheap," Brandon added.

"No, that's blasphemy. We're all children of God, created in his image."

"You have to understand, alchemists are scientists. We don't believe in unprovable concepts like creators or gods. We observe the physical laws that govern this world to try to learn the truth," Edward explained. "It's ironic really, that through the application of science, we have in many ways been given the power to play gods themselves."

"Brother, stop!" Alphonse exclaimed."Comparing us to God is just sheer arrogance. Enough, we're not on the same level as gods."

"You know, there's a myth about a hero who flew on wings made of wax," he continued, ignoring his brother's plea. "He thought he could touch the sun but when he got too close, his wings melted and he came crashing back down to Earth. Right Alyson?"

The girl in question was rendered speechless by Ed's words, trying to making something cohesive come out of her mouth."Edward, how can you possibly think…" She knew why they all doubted the concept of a God but that didn't give him the right to be so harsh to the girl.

"I'm sorry Miss, this is difficult for me to ask but do you think you're Father Cornello could even save an arrogant scientist, like me?" Edward asked, his actions taking a complete 180.

"Of course, how wonderful. If anyone can lead you to the Creator's light, it's him."

* * *

"Father Cornello, you have visitors who wish to see you. Five children who decided to give their names as the T:5s."

"I can't be bothered right now, just send them away," Cornello replied as he looked down at the town from his window. "Wait, you said the T:5s? Are you sure that's what they said?"

"Yes sir. That's what they call themselves, no mistake."

"Damn, then this is a problem. The Fullmetal Alchemist and his tagalongs are making a call on us. It's possible that they know about our plans for Liore. If that's so, then these dog's noses are too sharp for their own good."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"This way, please. Father Cornello is a busy man as you know. But you're in luck, he has decided to spare a moment for you."

"Yeah, thanks a lot," Alyson responded, a beaming smile on her face . "We understand, we won't take much of his time."

"Good, then it's agreed. We'll make this quick." Alyson looked over at Katy, the emotions in her eyes confirming that they had the same suspicions. When she looked in front of her, she saw that the man escorting them was pointing a gun at Edward. Guards wielding large axes circled around them, blocking the others of any form of escape.

"Brother Cray, what's the meaning of this?" the purple eyed girl asked.

"Rose, these sinners have come to stop the Father," Cray replied. "They're evil and this is God's will."

"Well, like you said, let's make this quick," Brandon interrupted. He managed to get out of the guard's grip and flipped him over his shoulder. Edward took this moment to punch Brother Cray, making him lose his hold on the gun. Alphonse and the female alchemists took care of the remaining guards, knocking them out with their own weapons.

"Oh yeah, strike," Edward yelled.

"What's this commotion?" The five teens turned their heads in the direction of the voice, coming face to face with their culprit. "The T:5s, how nice of you all to drop by our sacred order," Cornell added. "I must apologize for my disciples' behavior. It would seem they have been misguided."

"Ok, let's say I didn't believe you were the one who guided them, what next?" Edward retorted.

"Have you come to learn the ways of Leto?"

"No, but there are a few things I'm curious about. Like how you've been using second-rate alchemy to deceive your followers," Ed continued.

"My dear boy, what you're doubting as alchemy I see as miracles given by the sun god, Leto," Cornello replied as his ring started glowing. "Tell me, can alchemy create this out of nothing," he continued, holding a small statue in his hand.

"Yeah, that's something we didn't get at first," Alyson stated. "How can you perform transmutations that ignore the law of Equivalent Exchange?"

"As I said, it's because it isn't alchemy."

"Then I started thinking about it," she continued, ignoring Cornello's protests. "If you somehow managed to acquire an object to amplify your alchemy, one that's said to make the impossible possible…that would explain everything."

"What?"

"She's talking about the Philosopher's Stone. That ring, that it isn't it?" Edward asked. "We've been looking for that."

"This ring is just a ring. I am God's humble servant and that's where I derived my power."

"Still trying to sell that line, huh?" an overly annoyed Brandon remarked. "If that's the way you want to play it, then I guess we'll have to go up there a beat the truth out of you."

"My, you really are a persistent bunch," Cornello commented. He turned to look over at a confused Rose. "Rose, dear, that gun there beside you, pick it up." The girl did as she was ordered, her movements cautious and shaky as she grasped the weapon. "Now point it at the Fullmetal Alchemist and shoot."

"What? No, I can't…Father I can't do that," Rose replied.

"I am the Sun god's chosen emissary. My word is the word of Leto himself. Shoot Rose, its God's will," Cornello pressured. "Why hesitate? When your fiancé was killed by that accident last year, who was it that saved you from the depths of despair? Have you forgotten?"

"It was you, Father," Rose answered.

"That's right. It was I who took your hand and led you to God's light and do you recall what I said to you then?"

"You said if I had faith you would bring him back to life," Rose responded as she pointed the gun at Alphonse.

"No, it's not me, honest," Al exclaimed.

"Damn it, I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist!" Edward yelled. "NOT HIM! IT'S ME!"

"It's the short one? You're kidding?" Father Cornello exclaimed.

Rose pointed the gun at Edward who was already regretting his tantrum. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this. I don't want to, but I don't have any choice."

"He's been lying to you, Rose. If you have so much faith in him then fine, go ahead and shoot," Edward responded. Rose brought the gun close to her refusing to shoot. But in one wrong move she shot the gun in Al's direction. The impact of the bullet hit Alphonse straight in the head, sending him to the ground.

"Good, the will of Leto has been fulfilled and he is please you have done so well, my child," Cornello stated. "Now pick up the gun and get rid of the rest."

"Haven't you had her do enough already?" Alphonse asked as he pushed himself to sit.

"But…your head…I thought you were," Rose stuttered as she saw a headless Alphonse stand.

"Don't worry about it, he's pretty solid," Edward said, hitting Al's chest plate to produce a hollow sound.

"Yeah, see?" Al added as he bent over slightly to show the armor body's emptiness. "No harm done." Katy handed him his head back with a small smile and watched as he adjusted his head back into place.

"An empty suit of armor that walks and speaks? Do you still doubt it, Rose?" Cornello remarked. "This unholy thing is an abomination, evil such as this must be purged." He pulled down a lever on the wall behind him and the sound of mechanical doors opening filled the room. Red eyes glowed in the dark distance as they made their way forward. "And I think my chimera's up for the job."

"So this is the kind of thing you do with the Philosopher's Stone," Edward replied as he looked at the half lion, half reptile creature. "Now that's just twisted." He clapped his gloved hands and placed them on the floor. "Anyway, looks like we'll need weapons." Blue light emitted from the ground until a spear rose up, leaving behind a large hole in the floor.

"No transmutation circle?" Cornello exclaimed. "So the State Alchemist title isn't just for show, you truly are gifted. However…" The chimera swiped Edward's left leg with his claws before he managed to block. "Your spear is no match for a chimera that can cut through wire."

Edward scoffed as he looked down at his leg. "You shredded my pants." He saw that the claws the chimera used to attack had broken off, using that opportunity to kick the animal away. "I guess those claws don't work well against steel," he added as his automail leg came into full view.

"Bite him you stupid beast!"

The chimera did as it was ordered, charging at Edward until it hand his right arm in between his teeth. "You like that kitty? Well get a good taste!" he said before kicking the chimera away, ripping the sleeve that hid his automail arm.

"Your arm," Cornello stated. "A brother trapped in armor. I see, it's all becoming clear now…you did it didn't you?" Edward tugged his red coat off, throwing it to the ground. "The one thing even the most novice alchemist knows is strictly forbidden."

"Why don't you come down here and try me?" Edward challenged. "I'll show you real quick who the novice is."

"Rose, this is the price for their sins," Cornell stated. "These fools attempted human transmutation, the greatest taboo for any alchemist. In their arrogance they tried to bring someone dead back to life."

"He thought he could touch the sun but when he got too close, his wings melted and he came crashing back down to Earth."

"This is what happens when you try to play God or whatever you want to call it," Edward replied as his tightened his automail hand into a fist. "Take a good look Rose, is this what you want?"

"And not always does is have to be something as noticeable as losing a limb or your whole body," Alyson added as she gestured to herself and the Piers siblings. "We lost a good portion of our energy to a human transmutation that wasn't our fault. This exhaustion, if we're pushed to a certain extent, can be fatal. We didn't want any part of it, but we still have to deal with the final blow. This isn't something you want any part of, believe me."

Cornello scoffed at the two alchemist words. "So these are the great T:5s, not even half adults. Hell, they're not even half a child!"

"And what are you? You're just a phony who can't do anything without a Philosopher's Stone!" Edward yelled back.

"We just want you to hand the Stone over before someone gets hurt," Katy added.

"Why? So you can use it for yourself? Don't be absurd. Since you five are so eager to play God then maybe I should send you to meet him instead." With that the Father transmuted a machine gun and began firing at the teens. Dust filled the air before Cornello stopped firing.

"Nah, God doesn't really get along with us. Even if we did go, he'd probably just send us right back here," Brandon answered as he held his hand against the wall he transmuted.

"Come on guys, this way," Edward said as he clapped his hands and placed them on the wall, creating an exit.

"Well, don't just stand there! After them," Cornello yelled at the currently dazed guards.

The T:5s ran down the halls with Alphonse carrying Rose in his arms. They frantically looked for an exit out of the church when they suddenly got some company.

"Stop right there, we don't want to have to rough you up," the guards said.

"Edward, this one's yours," Alyson stated.

Edward smiled cheerfully and laughed, clapping his hands before using his automail arm to transmute a scythe like weapon. His once cheerful smile became sadistic while he saw the guards panic before Edward attacked. Around the corner, more squads of guards were prepared to block their escape but Brandon and Alphonse knocked them out with simple kicks.

* * *

"What do you think of Cornello now, Rose?" Katy asked. "He just opened fire with you being there and he didn't even care."

"That's because…" Rose started, but she couldn't come up with a plausible excuse. "What he said back there, it's true isn't it?"

"We're not evil," Alphonse replied. "Katy, Brandon, and Alyson wanted no part in that accident but others had different plans for them. They were treated as an experiment and now suffer because of that. All Brother and I wanted was to see our mom's smile again, but our transmutation failed. What we made…wasn't even human. We learned our mistake the hard way, people don't come back from the dead, not ever."

"Alchemy is based on the law of Equivalent Exchange," Al continued. "The price of even a failed human transmutation or opening the Spirit Realm was enormous. In opening the Spirit Realm, Brandon, Katy and Alyson lost a lot of energy that put their bodies under great stress. The transmutation cost my brother his left leg and it cost me my whole body." He removed his helmet to show Rose his rune sign."Do you see it? My brother drew that with his own blood. His leg had been taken, he was bleeding. I can't imagine the pain he was in but through all that he still gave up his right arm to transmute my soul into this suit of armor."

"I always remember that night and I doubt any of the three of us can forget," Brandon said. "Alyson was in so much pain yet she blames herself on what happened to us. Those two tragedies brought all five of us closer together and now we want to help each other get our bodies back to the way they were. It won't be easy, we might even get killed but it's the path that we chose."

Katy, in the meantime, had taken the church bell and set it on the ground before her. She drew a transmutation circle with the bell at the center, prepared to bring the planned device forth.

"Just because you and your brother failed doesn't mean that Father Cornello will too," Rose cried.

* * *

"There you are, you infernal brats," Cornello stated as he saw Alyson and Edward sitting on his desk.

"Look, can we just cut the crap and talk here," Edward bluntly replied. "All we want are some straight answers about the Stone."

"Tell us what we want to know and we'll be on our way," Alyson added. "Or, we could get the military involved."

Cornello thought through the offer carefully before closing his office door. "Ask your questions?"

"You could do anything with the Philosopher's Stone so why do you choose to perform phony miracles?" Edward asked.

"Because with every miracle, I attract more people to the order," Cornello confessed. "Believers who would gladly lay down their lives for me. Call it an army if you will, an army that I will unleash into the world. And I'll use the Philosopher's Stone to tear this country apart. Who knows, maybe I'll even carve out a slice for you two."

"Ha ha, that's very funny…but in all honesty, we kind of figured it was something like this," Alyson replied. "You really are a novice aren't you?" She pointed at the on-off switch Edward held in his hand, showing that something was clearly operating. Cornello notice a microphone by his feet and then it all clicked.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"There were never any miracles, Rose," Alphonse said as he held the bell over his should. Katy had successfully transmuted it to serve as a speaker, amplifying Cornello's little broadcast to the entire population.

"He lied to you and to everyone," Katy added.

"_Why you…how long has that been on?" Cornello asked_

"_From the start, your believers heard every word," Edward answered_

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"You'll both pay dearly for this," Cornello threatened as he started to transmute his machine gun once more.

"Sorry, but not today," Alyson said as she sliced the gun with her own transmuted blade. "Just face it, you're outclassed here." Cornello started to transmute the gun once more, causing Alyson to retreat a bit. The alchemic light expanded across the room, only to dim down to expose the priest's altered flesh and machine arm.

"A rebound?" Edward stated.

"No, I won't be disgraced like this," Cornello muttered as he held his arm. "Now, it's time you two met the real emissary of the sun god, Leto." He started to grow in size, hitting the two alchemists through the wall and into the next room. "My word is the divine word of God himself. My fist is the almighty fist of judgment."

"Fist of God, huh?" Alyson questioned. "Well if that's what you want, you can have it!" She ran up to one of the large statues of Leto, placing her hands on it to transmute a fist, hitting Cornello to the floor.

Edward ran up to him and grabbed his head, ramming his own against Cornello's. "Shut up! Just give me the Philosopher's Stone." At that moment, the stone fell to the ground, breaking into pieces before dissolving into the air. "What the hell? The stone…it's supposed to be perfect material. How did it just break like that?"

"I don't know…I don't know anything about it. Spare me. I was wrong, please…spare me."

"It's a damn fake…" Edward said as he stood up.

"Please don't! I'm helpless without the stone, spare me, please!"

"You mean we went through all this, risked our lives for this one possible chance and it's a fake?" Edward continued, ignoring the man's pleas.

"So, um, what about me?" Cornello asked.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO! JUST GET OUT OF HERE!" Edward yelled, causing Cornello to flee.

"Ed, I'm just as pissed as you, but you really shouldn't project your anger like that," Alyson advised.

"SHUT UP!"

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"And what about the Stone?" Alphonse asked.

"A phony, just like him," Edward answered.

"I'm sorry," Alyson added, before placing her hand on Al's chest plate. "All of you, I'm sorry. I honestly thought we found a way to get our bodies back."

"Give me the Philosopher's Stone!"

The team looked forward to see Rose pointing the gun at them again." Like I was just saying, it was a fake. It wasn't real," Edward restated. "Besides, it's shattered now."

"Liar, you want to keep it for yourselves, don't you? So you can use it on your bodies," Rose yelled. "That's right, and so you can try to open up that Spirit Realm or bring your mother back again."

"YOU SHUT UP!" Edward fired back. Despite his anger, he tried his best to hold back any tears but his voice shook as he spoke. "People don't come back from the dead, Rose. Not ever…not ever."

"But he promised me…" Rose said as she fell to her knees. "He said if I prayed enough that it would happen…a miracle. That hope was all I had left, what am I supposed to believe in now?" The teens walked past the crying girl, trying their best to not let old wounds take over. "Tell me what to do…please."

"I can't tell you that, you'll have to figure it out," Edward said as he paused in his walk, before picking up pace once more."Stand up and walk, keep moving forward. You've got two good legs so use them. You're strong enough to make your own path. I can only give you the words **_she_** told me when I needed them the most."

* * *

"Get him out here!"

"A liar, he lied to us all!"

"Show yourself!"

After the T:5s departure, a rebellion broke out in Liore. People angered by all the false hopes imposed by the heretic himself. "Those damned brats, it's all ruined. Everything I ever worked for!"

"Yes, all that hard work for nothing. I knew we should have just incited a little rebellion."

"You."

"I'm hungry, Lust. Can I eat the old man, please? He big and fat!"

"Not this one, Gluttony," Lust replied. "We don't want you giving yourself indigestion."

"Now you two, everyone has mocked me," Cornello said as he pulled out a handgun. "I won't stand for " He was cut off by Lust's piercing fingers, the Ultimate Spear, penetrating him in the head.

"I'd say this concludes our business," Lust added in her signature seductive tone before retracting her fingers back. "Just as things were beginning to look promising too. Now I suppose we'll have to start over from scratch, Father won't be pleased. In any case, it's time we started thinking about our next move."

* * *

**AN: And there's chapter 3 for ya! I'm so sorry for the long wait, I was dealing with a lot of end of the year exams and then a standardized test on Saturday for college. But I can officially say that I'm a Senior in high school now and am officially in summer. I'll try my best to update again next week if not the following week. If it takes me awhile, I apologize right now but this last school year was very stressful so I need to relax too. Anyway, I'd like to thank those that reviewed the last chapter! It made me feel very happy and encourages me to not give up! I'm hoping that with more chapters I can get more reviews, so I'll try my hardest to update. See ya later and thanks for reading! Please review, follow or favorite!**

**P.S. In the time of my absence I managed to watch two animes. [C] - Control - The Money and Soul of Possibility and Darker than BLACK. Totally recommend those two series to anyone!**


	4. An Alchemist's Anguish

**Chapter 4: An Alchemist's Anguish**

"You are Basque Grand, the Iron Blood Alchemist, correct?" a hidden figure asked.

"Why? Who's asking?"

"Foolish alchemists who've turned their backs on the ways of God shall be punished."

"I see, you must be the blood thirsty murderer who's been making it a habit targeting state alchemists lately," Grand replied as he put on his iron gloves, each with intricate writings displayed on the material. "Well this time, you picked the wrong target." Taking his gloves and slamming his fists together, he used the street ground as transmutation material. Soon enough, numerous cannons rose from the ground and fired as the killer. Each shot proved to be useless, however, since the murderer evaded all of the shots.

"You're fast, try this," Iron Blood exclaimed before transmuting chains, sending them towards the man. Just like his first attempt, the man avoided being entrapped by the chains. As a final resort, the alchemist transmuted four walls, successfully enclosing the murderer at last. "That wasn't so difficult," he added as he approached the walls. Suddenly, a blue alchemic light appeared on one of the walls, creating a hole wide enough for the murderer to grasp Grand's head.

"Now you perish."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Another state alchemist dead," Hughes gravely remarked.

"This killer is highly skilled," Armstrong added as he and the Lt. Colonel looked over the corpse.

"Major, you watch yourself," Hughes warned. "For all we know, you could be the next one he comes after."

"Understood."

Right behind the men and their investigation team, two car lights shone through the darkness. When the Fuhrer himself stepped out of the vehicle, all the officers saluted their superior. "Fuhrer Bradley, your Excellency, what brings you here?" Hughes asked.

"I got word of what happened," Bradley replied as he made his way to the body. "Lt. Colonel Hughes, are you the officer in charge of this case?"

"Yes sir."

"Should you need any additional personnel, just ask," the Fuhrer sternly informed. "The man doing this is a traitor, I want him stopped."

* * *

**The Next Day**

"Lieutenant Breda," Hawkeye said as she extended her hand, giving him some signed documents.

"Right," Breda sighed. "The Colonel sure is letting his work pile up again, huh?" He turned to his left and looked at his fellow comrade. "Havoc, give me a hand, will ya?"

"I've got plenty to do over here already," Havoc replied before looking down at his own documents. "Next up…who's this?"

"Lieutenant Yoki," Falman answered."Remember, the crook who was using the Youswell coal mines to line his own pockets? Anyway, the T:5s exposed what that dirty thief was up to and now he's on the run."

"Master Sergeant Fuery, how's the radio?" Hawkeye asked.

"The receiver on this thing has seen better days," Fuery replied as he struggled with the wiring. "I think I'm gonna have to replace it." As if on cue, a clap was heard and a hand was placed on the radio. When the alchemic lights seized, Fuery looked to see the radio was as good as new. He followed the hand to see a familiar group. "Hey, it's the T:5s!"

"Welcome back guys," Hawkeye said, gaining a smile from the group. "Go on in, the Colonel's expecting you," the little remark caused Edward's face to switch to one of annoyance, bringing a giggle or two from the girls.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Well done on the Liore case you five, nice work," Mustang said, looking at the teenagers sitting across from his desk. "I appreciate you resolving the matter."

"No big deal, it's not like we did it for you," Edward grumbled, resting his elbow on the armrest to lean his face on his hand.

"Right, the Philosopher's Stone. Another false lead?"

"Yeah, after all that, the stone was a fake," Alyson responded. "Even so, the power it gave Cornello was real enough. He transmuted this huge chimera right in front of us."

"I still wonder how he was able to use the stone to do that," Alphonse replied. "We're not familiar enough with the field of bio-alchemy to really understand it."

"Yeah, I'm curious about that too," Brandon added. "It might just be worth looking into. Who knows, maybe we'll find something that will help us restore our bodies." He turned to look at his older sister on the other couch. "Maybe you and Alyson can implement any findings into your automail engineering or even use it for medical purposes."

"It might help if you consulted a specialist," Mustang added as he looked through his desk drawer, pulling out a military document. "The Sewing Life Alchemist, Shou Tucker. He's done some heavy research on chimera transmutation. I'll introduce you."

"You would do that for us?" Alphonse asked.

"Okay, what's the catch? You want something don't you?" Edward furiously accused.

"Don't doubt my motives. I'm trying to repay you for your work on the Liore case," Mustang answered before a smug smirk appeared on his face. "Doing you a favor is better than being indebted to you."

* * *

"Two years ago, Tucker transmuted a chimera that could understand human speech. That earned him his certification as a state alchemist," Mustang stated as he and the T:5s were on their way to Tucker's residence.

"Understand human speech, you mean…"Alyson pondered.

"Wait you mean it talks?" Edward quickly concluded. "A chimera?"

"Right," Mustang confirmed. "Supposedly it only said one thing 'I want to die.' After that, it refused to eat until it got its wish."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Wow, this house is huge," Brandon said as Mustang rang the door bell.

"You got that right," Edward agreed as he too admired the house. In doing so, he left himself wide open for ambush. All he saw was a large shadow being casted on him. When he looked up, he was on the ground with a huge white dog on top of him.

"Are you okay, Ed?" Al asked as he kneeled down next to his fallen brother.

"Daddy, there are people out here, look," a little girl dressed up in a red shirt and shorts said as she held the door open. She brown hair made into four braids, big blue eyes and appeared to be no more than four years old.

"Nina, this is why I told you to keep the dog tied up," the man behind the little girl said, clearly referring to Edward's current predicament. The man had short light brown hair and wore glasses. Obviously the man who looked to be in his late thirties was the girl's father, due to her own excited cry.

...

"I'm sorry about the mess," the man said, indicating the piles of books and dirty dishes in the sink. "Ever since my wife ran out this place has been a wreck. I'm not much of a house keeper." He laid out tea for Mustang and each of the teens. "Now that we're all settled in, I have to say, it's an honor to meet you all. As the Colonel told you, I'm the Sewing Life Alchemist, Shou Tucker."

"They are all interested in the field of biological alchemy," Mustang said. "They would like to take a look at your research, if that's possible."

"Oh yes, certainly. I don't mind," Tucker responded. "However, if you want me to show you the tricks up my sleeve it's only fair to show me the tricks you five have up yours too. It's the code we live by, Equivalent Exchange. Now, why are you interested in bio-alchemy?"

"Oh, um…you see," Mustang started.

"Colonel," Alyson interrupted, shaking her head in order to let them explain.

...

"You transmuted your mother…as an eleven year old child?" Tucker said as he looked at Edward, who had removed his coat to show off he prosthetic. "I see, so that's what earned you the title of Fullmetal Alchemist." He looked over at Alyson and the Piers siblings. "And you three were used to open up the Spirit Realm at the ages of eleven, ten, and nine? You've all had a hard time for people so young." Standing up, Tucker continued, "I can't say for sure if it's going to be of any use to you or not, but why don't you go ahead and take a look at my laboratory."

Everywhere you looked, the lab contained something referencing to chimeras. Books, works in progress, and even live chimeras were there. "It's kind of embarrassing. I'm fairly widely regarded as an authority on chimeras but the truth is, it hasn't actually been going so well lately."

...

"Whoa! Amazing," Alyson exclaimed as she saw the multiple shelves of books.

"This is my library," Tucker stated. "Feel free to look around."

"Alright, let's dive in!" Alyson added. "I'll start with this shelf."

"You bookworm," Ed added. "Al and I will start over here. Kay and Brandon, take those two shelves over there."

"I'm going to head back to work now," Mustang said. "I'll send somebody by to get you this evening." He didn't receive so much as a glance from the teens. They were already too preoccupied with their books.

"They've got some ability to focus," Tucker commented. "I'm not sure if they know we're still here anymore. Quite a catch these five, a couple of prodigies."

* * *

Hours had gone by after the Colonel had left. Alyson and Edward were still busy reading, pile after pile of books surrounding them. Katy and Alphonse were reading books out of the same shelf while the youngest T:5 had fallen asleep, leaning against his sister's leg. Out of the corner of her eye, Katy saw the little girl, Nina, peeking from behind one of the bookcases. She nudged Alphonse's arm and tilted her head over in Nina's direction. We she was spotted, Nina cowered behind the bookcase, only to poke her head out once again. In seeing that she caught the two alchemist's attention, she started giggling.

A couple of bookcases over, Alyson and Edward heard Nina's laughter and immediately exited their focused trance. They looked at each other and got up, following the laughter echoing throughout the library. When they finally found the source, they saw Alphonse with Nina supported on his armored shoulders, jumping around. Katy was there laughing and cheering along with them.

"Al, what are you doing?" Edward exclaimed. "You're supposed to be reading."

"Nina looked like she wanted to play," Alphonse nervously replied.

"Well, in case you forgot, we didn't come here to play horsey," Edward added. An all too familiar shadow casted on him, meaning only one thing. When he looked up, he saw the giant dog waiting to plummet onto him.

"Alexander says that he wants to play too," Nina happily said from the comfort of Al's shoulders.

"That's what you want is it," Edward groaned as he pushed himself out from under the dog, trying to get to his feet. "You've bested me twice dog, but play time is over. I WILL NOT LOSE THIS TIME! I, EDWARD ELRIC, WILL USE MY CONSIDERABLE POWERS TO VANQUISH YOU!" Alexander took off running, challenging the short tempered alchemist. "YOU MANGY MUTT!"

"A bit dramatic don't you think?" Katy asked, watching Ed chase after the dog.

"Well, it is Edward," Alyson responded. "What else can you expect from him?"

"What's all the commotion?" a groggy Brandon asked. His eyes were having a difficult time staying open having been abruptly awaken from his nap.

"Nothing little bro, just Edward being Edward," Katy replied, putting Brandon's head against her shoulder for support.

...

"Hey chiefs, your ride has arrived," Havoc called out as he walked into the library. It was just now that he noticed Edward lying on the ground with Alexander lying on top of him. "What are you up to down there, Ed?"

"Let's just say I'm taking a break from a long day of research," Edward replied, his voice sounding raspy due to exhaustion.

"After all that, you must be dog tired," Tucker added, causing an ironic smile to appear on Ed's face. "Why don't you come on back tomorrow?"

"You're really going to come again?" Nina asked, turning towards Katy.

"Yeah, we'll play with you some more tomorrow. Okay Nina?"

"Okay."

Havoc escorted the five tired teens to the car, Edward sulking in defeat after his so called "battle" with the friendly dog. "Oh, Mister Tucker, I almost forgot," Havoc said. "I've got a message for you from the Colonel. He says 'Don't forget, assessment day's coming soon."

"Yes, please assure him I know," Tucker replied.

"Right," and with that Havoc and the T:5s were gone. Tucker shut the front doors of his home and stood there, looking out the windows. "Hey Daddy," Nina's voice called, interrupting his thoughts. "What does assessment day mean?"

"State alchemists have to report on their research once a year in order to keep their certification," Tucker answered as he approached his daughter. "You see, last year Nina, Daddy didn't get a good evaluation. Unless I do something really impressive this year, I won't be a state alchemist anymore."

"Huh?" Nina questioned. "No, you'll do just fine Daddy. I know you will, you're always studying so much."

"You're right, Nina. I have to try hard." At the same time Tucker was thinking, _'Or we'll be left with nothing…again.'_

* * *

**The Next Day**

"You're mother left two years ago?" Brandon asked Nina.

"Daddy said she went back to live in her parents' house."

"It must get kind of lonely with just you and your dad only living in this big house," Katy added.

"Not really," Nina answered with a small smile. "Daddy's so nice and plus, I've got Alexander to play with too. But lately Daddy's been studying in his lab a lot. I guess that does make me a little lonely."

With Nina's words, the teens could all relate to the feeling of being lonely. Katy and Brandon's father was always researching ways to incorporate alchemy and weaponry together. Edward and Alphonse could remember watching their father in his study, working on different types of alchemy techniques. The death of their mother and the abandonment of their father brought on the greatest feeling of loneliness. Alyson thought of her father's death in the Ishvalan War of Extermination. The only memento she had from him was the necklace she wore every day. She made it her job to carry on her father's treasured Flamel symbol.

"My shoulders are killing me," Ed stated as he stood up.

"Maybe you should try to move around some, Brother," Alphonse suggested.

"Yeah, not a bad idea, Al," Edward commented before pointing at Alexander. "Hey, you mangy mutt. Looks like you could use some exercise."

"Let's go too, Nina," Alyson added, stretching out her arms to carry the girl.

...

Outside, Ed was being chased by Alexander with Nina riding on the dog. "Come on slow pokes!" Ed exclaimed as he transmuted his automail arm into a cartoonish robotic head. He started to chase Alexander and Nina, playfully scaring them with the head.

Later, Brandon and Alphonse started playing leap frog with Nina. The little girl had never laughed that much in just one day. She laughed even more when she noticed Katy and Alyson trying to pry Alexander off of Edward.

* * *

"What I want to know is why this guy is only targeting state alchemists and no one else," Hughes questioned. "If it's the military he's trying to hurt, he could go after normal soldiers. Surely soldiers would be easier to kill then highly skilled alchemists, especially ones that have been state certified."

"Maybe the certification is the reason," Armstrong replied. "State alchemists are given high pay and special privilege, there must be a number of people who envy them for their positions. Or perhaps they feel that they have not upheld their creed 'Alchemist be thou for the people'. Alchemists were supposed to be pillars of science and truth, instead are turned into the military's walking weapons as soon as they receive certification. There are plenty of people, I'm sure, that haven't forgotten the role state alchemists played in the Ishvalan Civil War."

A knock came on the door before a female officer came into the room. "I have a report, sir. A canvas has revealed that yesterday at nine thirty, or right around that time, a man with a large scar on his face was sighted in the Central City Train Station by multiple station employees."

"The station?" Hughes restated. "Looks like the bastard got away."

* * *

"Before I earned my state alchemist certification, our life was terrible," Tucker stated. "We were so poor in those days, my wife couldn't stand living that kind of life so she left us. I can't afford to fail this assessment; I don't want to go back to those days again. I don't even think I could."

"Don't worry Daddy, its okay!" Nina exclaimed from Alexander's side. "If those people do tell you no, me and Alexander will growl at them until they say yes."

"You tell them, Nina," Alphonse added with a chuckle.

"Hey Nina, I've got an idea," Tucker said. "Do you want to play with Daddy tomorrow?"

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Yay!" the little girl exclaimed. "Alexander, Daddy says he's going to play with us tomorrow!" The T:5s couldn't help but feel happy for their new little friend. Her life was set around her father and she was going to enjoy it to the fullest.

* * *

**The Next Day**

"I'm such an idiot, I forgot to put Tucker's research back and instead put it in my coat pocket. Real smart, Alyson," she scolded herself as she walked to Tucker's house. She didn't want to interrupt Nina's time with her father, but she didn't know if Tucker would need the records. Looking up at the darkening rain clouds, she sprinted to Tucker's house.

When she got there, Alyson noticed that the door was open and began to worry. "Hello? Is everybody alright?" She made her way into the house, no lights were turned on, making her a bit more anxious. "Nina? Alexander? Mr. Tucker? I just came back to return some report I accidently took with me."

"Ms. Evans, nice of you to stop by."

Alyson jumped a little, trying to locate Tucker within the house's darkness. "Tucker, where are you? Is everything al " She was cut off by the sudden impact of something hitting her head, making her lose consciousness.

"Good, now that you're out of the way I can continue with my work. The others should be coming to look for you soon, might as well use you as bait."

...

"Hello, Mr. Tucker?" Alphonse said as he opened the door. "Thanks for having us again today."

"Have you seen Alyson her by any chance?" Katy added as the four stepped into the dark house. "Mr. Tucker?"

"Hey, Nina," Edward shouted as they all walked down the hall.

Brandon opened the door to Tucker's laboratory, finally making some progress in the search. "Mr. Tucker, there you are."

"So you are home," Ed confirmed.

"Yes," Tucker replied. "I did it, I finally did it. A chimera that understands human speech. Here let me show you." Tucker then directed his attention to the chimera. "Listen to me, that person over there, that's Edward."

"That person…Ed…ward."

"Yes, that's very good," Tucker praised. "Well done."

"That's amazing, it can actually talk," Edward said.

"Now I don't have to worry about losing my certification," Tucker happily added.

The chimera turned to look at Edward, meeting his gaze. "That person…Edward. That person Edward. That person Edward. Big brother Ed."

With that one phrase, Ed's face went from amazement to shock. He stared at the chimera, not knowing what to say or do…until the realization sunk in and his eyes widened.

"Mr. Tucker, when did you first get your state certification?" Edward asked in a dangerously low whisper.

"Let's see, it was two years ago."

"And when did your wife leave you?"

"That was two years ago too."

"I just have one more question for you," Edward added. "Nina and Alexander, where are they?" Once Ed had asked that final question, every one of the teens understood what had happened and that Alyson, perhaps, was in serious trouble.

"Damn brat figuring it out so quickly." The next moment Edward tackled Tucker against the wall, his flesh arm against Tucker's throat.

"Oh yeah, I figured it out," Edward spitefully retorted, his voice getting louder and louder with every word he said. "You did it again. Two years ago it was your wife. This time you used your own daughter and her dog to transmute a talking chimera. You can only do so much with animals after all. It's much easier when you start with a human, isn't that right?"

"I don't see what you're so upset about, this is how we progress," Tucker replied. "Human experimentation is a necessary step, I would think a scientist should understand."

"SHUT UP!" Edward screamed. "Do you really think you could get away with this? Messing around with someone's life like that. YOUR OWN DAUGHTER!"

"Someone's life you say? You'd know all about that, wouldn't you? Look at yourself, Fullmetal Alchemist," Tucker countered. "Look at your leg, your arm, your brother. Look the Piers siblings and your precious little Evans. Those things are also the result of messing around with somebody's life aren't they?"

"SHUT UP!" Edward screamed as he used his automail arm to punch Tucker, the force sending his glasses to the ground.

"We are the same," Tucker added. "We're the same, you're just like me."

"We're not!"

"Oh, but yes we are. The opportunity was right in front of us and we took it. We had to even though we knew it was against the rules."

"No!" Edward yelled as he kept striking at Tucker. "Not me! Alchemists don't…do that! I'm not…I'M NOT!"

"Brother, stop," Alphonse said as he grabbed Edward's right arm. "If you keep this up, he'll die."

Edward wanted nothing more than for Tucker to die. To make him pay for what he had done to his own family. When he felt a slight movement, he turned his head to the left to see that the Nina-Alexander chimera was staring at him.

"Edward, no. Daddy…do you hurt? Daddy?"

...

"I'm sorry," Alphonse said as he bent down to pat the chimera's head. "Even with all our power, we can't do anything to change you back. I'm sorry…I'm sorry."

"Can we play now?" the chimera asked. "Can we play now?"

"I made it just in time," Tucker remarked as he held his silver pocket watch. "I get to remain a state alchemist, I passed."

Edward kicked Tucker's pocket watch away from his hold. When it slammed into the floor, it broke into tiny pieces. "Like hell you're staying a state alchemist…like hell."

"Ed, we found Alyson," Katy said as she and her brother supported the Evans girl up. "She was knocked out by Tucker and woke up only to see that it was too late."

Alyson detached herself from the Piers siblings and made her way towards Edward, swaying a little in her steps. She wrapped her arms around Edward's waist, pressing her face into his shoulder as she sobbed. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop this. Nina…please forgive me."

"Can we play now?"

Not being able to contain his emotions anymore, Edward screamed at the top of his lungs.

* * *

"If ever there was another example of the Devil's work in this world, this case would definitely be it," Lieutenant Hawkeye said.

"The Devil, huh?" Mustang remarked. "A state alchemist must be willing to act, able to take another's life when ordered without questioning. In some ways, Mr. Tucker's actions and our own may not be that far apart when it comes to interfering with other people's lives. We choose our own path, knowing full well what we're doing." He descended the stairs of the Command Center, not even trying to cover himself from the rain. "That's the way it is. Right Fullmetal?"

There was not response from any one of the teens. They just sat on the stairs in the pouring rain, letting the water and guilt shower them to the point of drowning.

"You will more than likely come across cases like this again in the future and you may end up having to get your own hands dirty as well. Are you all going to shut down like this every time?" Mustang continued.

"We may be called dogs of the military. We may even be cursed as devils. It doesn't matter. We're all going to get our bodies back. We know the truth. We know we're not Devils. We know we're not gods. We're human," Edward said before he stood up. "WE'RE ONLY HUMAN!"

"We can't even do anything to save one innocent little girl," Alyson added."So what good are we then?"

* * *

"I wonder why no one is capable of understanding me," Tucker said as he sat in front of the chimera. "Nina."

"You're Shou Tucker, correct?"

"Who are you?" Tucker asked as he saw the unknown man in his house."Not military, who are you? How did you get in here? There were military police out front."

"Foolish alchemists who turn their backs on the ways of God," the man said as he grabbed Tucker's face, "shall be punished." Within seconds, a blue light erupted from the man's arm and encased Tucker's body. Blood splattered onto the floor as his corpse fell.

"Daddy's hurting," the chimera said as she nudged Tucker's hand. "Daddy hurts…no Daddy."

"You poor creature," the man said. "Once you've been given this form, there is no way of separating you again." He put his hand on the chimera's head. "At least, you're passing will be in peace."

Once his task was complete, the man left the Tucker residence behind. _God, hear me, two human souls have just been returned to you. Please accept them into your loving arms. Please grant these poor lost souls everlasting peace and salvation. _He looked up to the stormy sky, taking of his dark glasses to expose two red eyes.

* * *

AN: And that's Chapter 4 to all the readers! And I updated within a week so that makes me proud. It's honestly been a mix of typing this chapter, relaxing, watching One Piece, and then writing down the last nine chapters of this story. So if I can finish writing those remaining chapters, updates will hopefully be speedier. Anyway, thanks to **starrat **and **SkyLion27 **for following the story and to **crazyman90** for favoriting this story. Also thanks to **starrat** for reviewing chapter 3 and **MaoIsSleepy (Guest)** for reviewing the first and third chapter. Please keep the reviews coming guys, it really boosts my confidence when it comes to writing and it pushes me to update quicker. I hope to have another update for you all within a week's time but I won't guarantee anything because I have an orthodontist appointment coming up and I have to get my Senior pictures taken. Meaning this household is gonna get crazy and I'm gonna have to prep for those pictures. Anyway, please review, favorite, and/or follow this story. If your friends enjoy the FMA series then tell them about this fanfic. Happy reading and see ya soon!


	5. Rain of Sorrows

**Chapter 5: Rain of Sorrows**

"_Hey Dad!" a five year old Alyson shouted. "Dad!"_

"_What have you got there, Aly?" he said, looking down at his daughter's hands._

"_It's a present," Alyson replied as she held up a dog figurine. "I transmuted it."_

"_Really? Wow, that's my little girl! Taking after your old man, huh? Creating something like this takes talent," Mr. Evans praised as patted his little girl's head. "But…if you can do that, why couldn't you save yourself from that transmutation? Why couldn't you save that little girl?"_

_Her brief moment of happiness was shattered as her father asked those two questions. Alyson was speechless and her eyes widened as she listened to her father's reproaches to the tragedies. "Big sister." When Alyson heard that voice, her instinct was to let out a silent gasp and look behind her. Nina and Alexander were standing before her before slowly being morphed into their combined chimera form. "Can we play now?"_

* * *

Alyson shot out of bed with her eyes open in terror, the sheets drenched in sweat all around her. Her hyperventilating and heart rate kept in pace with each other, soaring off the charts.

"Alyson, are you okay?" Katy asked as she looked over at her roommate. "You were dreaming."

Alyson couldn't put words to what she felt. She only looked at Katy's sleepy form, the girl's own exhaustion coming from yesterday's events. All Alyson could do was bring her legs to her chest and bring her head down to meet them.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Minutes later, Alyson and Katy found themselves standing in front of a military dorm. Alyson hesitated on knocking but in a matter of seconds Lt. Hawkeye opened the door. "What's up you two?" she asked. "You're up early. The boys aren't with you?"

"Not, they're in their room sleeping," Alyson replied. "We…we need to know, what's going to happen to Nina and Tucker?

"Mr. Tucker was scheduled to be stripped of his certification and stand trial for what he did to Nina, but they're both dead," Hawkeye stated.

"Dead?" Katy said in utter shock. "No, that can't be."

The Lieutenant closed her door and started to walk away. "You would've found out eventually…they were murdered."

"How? By who?" Alyson asked, following Hawkeye with Katy not too far behind.

"We don't know, I was just heading over to the scene now."

"We're coming with you," Katy added.

"No."

"Why not?" asked a now infuriated Alyson.

They all came to a halt, Hawkeye meeting their gazes with her own piercing eyes. "You don't need to see this."

* * *

"He's always one step ahead of us," Hughes said as looked over Tucker's corpse before covering it once again with a blanket.

"We better catch up to him fast or continue with the way things are going," Major Armstrong added.

Colonel Mustang walked into the crime scene, spotting the two victims under the blankets. "By the way you said that, it sounds like you were expecting this. Fill me in."

* * *

"God has given us a wonderful gift, my children. Wicked heretics have spread rumors about us to rid us of our faith. Now the military wants to oppress us, but we must hold on to our faith. The time is now, we must rise hand in hand and fight for the great god, Leto," Cornello preached to his overwhelming audience of followers.

"Don't listen to him, that man only speaks lies!" someone shouted.

"Human foolish never ceases to amaze me. Wouldn't you agree, Gluttony?" Lust asked as they watched the full scale rebellion occur in Liore.

"Fools, all of them," Gluttony responded.

"Fools indeed, sad but true."

Lust looked over her shoulder, smirking when she saw who it was. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the Father. Sorry to have to put you through so much trouble."

"As soon as we handle everything here I have my own responsibilities to get back to," the Father answered.

"The T:5s interference was troubling but it does make things for us," Lust added. "Looks like we'll finish ahead of schedule."

"Manipulate little bits of information, spread them among the believers, and you have the perfect recipe for instant violence," the Father noted. "Humans are such simple creatures."

"Bloodshed gives way to more bloodshed. Hatred breeds more hatred until all violence is soaked into the land, marking it with rivers of blood. No matter how many times it happens, they never seem to learn. The human race made up of violent, miserable fools," Lust remarked.

"Who seem more than willing to play into our hands," the Father added.

"Are lots of people going to die again?" Gluttony asked.

"Yes they will."

"Can I eat all of them after they've died?"

"No, you may not," Lust answered, her tone equivalent to a mother scolding her child. She turned her attention back onto the Father, eyeing him in disgust. "By the way Envy, could you lose the old man costume? It's rather unattractive."

"Come on, I was just staying in character," Envy, as he was called, replied when red alchemic lights lit from under his feet. "But, if you insist but this time I'll go with a younger, cuter model." He was a shape shifter but his true form wore a brown turtle neck crop top and shorts that nearly resembled a skirt. His hair made him resemble the top of a palm tree, dark green and cascading to his hips. On his lower right thigh, an Ouroboros tattoo was visible.

"A monster!" Brother Cray exclaimed as he saw Envy morph into his form. "What have you done? What have you done to the real Father Cornello?"

"It's your call," Lust said.

"He said I was a monster," Envy plainly replied. "I think that's quite rude, don't you?"

"Can I eat him? Can I?" Gluttony impatiently asked, giving the others a simple solution.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Did you hear the news? Shou Tucker, that alchemist in East City, is dead," Envy stated.

"Tucker?" Lust repeated. "Why should we care about a nothing like him?"

"Because it was **him** who was responsible for the murder."

Lust stayed silent for a moment as she thought over the shared information. "Speaking of East City," she started, "isn't that where the Flame Colonel's staying right now?"

"Yeah, and apparently the T:5 brats are there too," Envy added.

"Oh, are they?" Lust snidely remarked. "As furious as I am that they interfered with our work here, we can't very well let them die. They are important sacrifices."

"That was so yummy!" Gluttony happily shouted as he licked Cray's blood off his hands.

"We'll find some way of handling the situation," Lust declared. "The other one we were speaking of, what was his name?"

* * *

"Scar, because of his face?" Colonel Mustang asked.

"Our target is both unidentified and elusive. The only information that we have obtained is that he has a large scar on his forehead," Major Armstrong added.

"Yes, I've heard stories about that man," Mustang remarked. "That's who you're trying to hunt down?"

"By order of the Military Police Command Center," Hughes answered with a tired sigh. "Meanwhile, all my other work is piling up. My head hurts."

"He's killed five people in Central, all state alchemists," the Major added. "His body count nationwide is up to ten."

"Five days ago, he took out old man Grand," Hughes noted.

Mustang and Hawkeye, who remained idle at his side, gasped at the news. "The Brigadier General? But he's an expert in weapons transmutation."

"That shows you how dangerous this guy is," Hughes added. "You should increase your escort and lay low for awhile. Nobody will blame you. Please, I'm asking as your friend. You and Tucker are the only state alchemists of note in this area, right?"

Mustang's eyes widened at the question. "Oh no."

* * *

"I've been thinking about this for a long time," Alyson started. The T:5s were sitting by a small clock tower in the pouring rain. "We've put all our trust in alchemy, but in the end, what is it? Alchemy is the science of understanding the flow of matter and its laws. The process of comprehension, deconstruction, and reconstruction. The world flows too, it follows its own laws. It's a circulation that even death is a part of. We must accept the flow, Teacher really drummed that into our heads, right Ed? Alphonse?

"We thought we understood it, but it turns out we don't know anything," Edward added softly. "Mom and that experimental transmutation prove that." He lowered his head, looking at the soaked stone pavement in front of him. "Now here I am again, trying desperately to figure out a way to do the impossible."

"We're just hopeless idiots," Katy stated.

"All this time, and it seems like we haven't grown up one bit," Brandon added.

"Maybe we thought the rain would wash away some of this gloom and the memories that have been following us," Alyson said behind closed eyes. "Right now, every drop that hits my face is even more depressing."

"I don't even get that much," Alphonse added as he looked at the clouded sky. "Without a body, I can't feel the rain hitting my face. That's something I miss, all the time. I want to get my body back soon, I just want to be human again. Even if it means going against the flow of the world, trying to do the impossible."

"You girl, you're the Sapphire Soul Alchemist, Alyson Evans? Together you're the T:5s, correct?"

Alyson opened her eyes and looked up to see a man wearing tinted glasses with a visible scar on his face. His hand was clenched as everyone but Alyson backed away from the tower. "Alyson, move!" was what she heard, too deep in her thoughts to realize what the man was going to do. Edward rushed in and grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her away from the man's grasp. Once her mind pieced the situation together, he clapped her hands and slammed them onto the concrete to create a barrier.

"What the hell's going on here?" Edward questioned just as a hole was blown through the wall. The man started to approach them, his piercing stare was enough to scare them out of their minds.

'_Who is this guy? What does he want? This is bad…this is really bad. We've got to move now!_' Alyson thought. "Guys, run for it."

They ran for the nearby stairs but the man just used alchemy to break through the railing and jumped to the end of the stairs. "No you don't," he said. With that he caused the stairs to break with the T:5s falling to the floor. Brandon used his improving earth based alchemy and his telekinesis to get a piece of the debris to use as a floating platform, catching Alphonse and Katy along the way. Edward was hanging on to what used to be the base of the staircase. Alyson caught Edward's hand so they were depending on each other and the base for survival. When Alyson looked down, she noticed that alchemic lights were radiating off the man's right hand. The next thing she knew she and Edward had fallen and collapsed onto the next staircase.

"Aly, grab on," Ed said as he transmuted a step into a bridge. It didn't last long, however, since the man destroyed the base of it. The two alchemists fell to the ground but rapidly gained their footing again as they ran for their lives.

"Damn it, what the hell is this guy's problem?" Ed yelled. "Making enemies isn't something that we…well " he cut himself off thinking through if what he was about to say was true.

"Well we never really avoided it, did we?" Alyson retorted. "Still, there's no reason someone should be trying to kill us." They turned into an alleyway in an attempt to lose the man. He was one step ahead of them, sending an alchemic pulse to the end of the alley, blocking the exit with debris. The man was a few feet in front of them as the three remaining T:5s landed next to Ed and Alyson.

"Who are you anyway?" Edward yelled. "Why are you after us?"

"As long as there are creators like you in the world, there must also be destroyers."

"Looks like we're gonna have to fight," Ed said as he transmuted a sword from a broken metal pipe.

"Gutsy ones, aren't you?" the man said as the T:5s charged at him. "But you're too slow," he added as touched the side of Alphonse's armor, destroying the right side of his body. When he saw the hollowness of Al's body, he couldn't comprehend how it was possible.

"YOU BASTARD!" Edward yelled as he ran towards the man. He tried swing the sword at him but the man grabbed Edward's right arm. The man tried using his alchemy to inflict the same damage, but all he managed to do was send Edward back into the streets. "Damn it," Ed growled as he removed his red coat.

"An automail arm, that explains why my attacks didn't do the damage I had expected. Most unusual," the man said as Edward transmuted his automail into his signature blade.

"Brother don't, just go. Run away," Alphonse yelled as Katy and Brandon helped him up, leaving Alyson and Ed to deal with the enemy.

"You idiot! I'm not going to leave you or anyone else behind!"

"You press your hands together to make a ring then you perform a transmutation," the man observed as Edward charged at him. "Now I see." He grabbed a hold on Ed's automail arm, placing his one hand on the shoulder. "Then I will have to start by destroying this abhorred right arm of yours." The transmutation was set and Ed's arm shattered into bits of pieces and wiring. He landed on the street, his left arm supporting him up as the man stared him down. "Now you will not be able to use your heretics' alchemy." Edward tried staggering back but fell on his side from lack of balance. "I will give you a moment to pray to God."

"Brother, run away! Brother!" Alphonse yelled. Katy and Brandon wanted to help but they couldn't risk leaving Al by himself. Alyson was their only hope.

"Unfortunately, there isn't any God I'd liked to pray to," Edward replied, ignoring his brother's pleas. "Am I the only one you're trying to kill today or are you going after my brother and my friends too?"

"If he interferes, I will eliminate your brother," the man coldly answered. "But Fullmetal Alchemist, you and the three other state alchemists are the only one's receiving judgment today."

"In that case, I want your word," Edward said as he turned to look the man in the eyes. "Promise me you won't hurt my brother and that you'll let my friends go today."

"I will keep that promise."

"No, brother," Alphonse said. "What are you trying to do? What are you thinking? Run!" He saw how Edward made no effort to move, he laid on the street without a stir. "Get up and run!"

The man's slowly extended out towards Edward's head. "Don't you dare touch him!" Alyson screamed as she got in between the man and Ed.

"Fine, you two will receive judgment together."

A single gunshot rang out in the air, halting the man's actions. "That's enough, you won't be killing anyone else today, Scar," Colonel Mustang declared, standing in front of his squadron. "I'm taking you into custody where you will answer for the murders of at least ten state alchemists."

"Alchemists alter things from their natural form, perverting them to something else, something grotesque. They profane God, the true creator of all things. As an agent of God, I'm here to hand down his judgment. If you interfere, I will eliminate you as well," Scar stated.

"Oh, is that right?" Mustang smirked before handing the gun back to Hawkeye. "You guys stay out of it."

"Colonel Mustang, sir "

"Colonel Mustang, so this is the Flame Alchemist," Scar added. "Volunteering yourself to receive judgment, this is truly an auspicious day."

"So you know who I am and you still want to challenge me. Bad decision," Mustang stated as he snapped his fingers. Hawkeye came from behind and tripped the Colonel, letting him evade Scar's hand by split seconds. She started firing two shot guns in order to push Scar back but the bullets barely grazed him.

"Hey, Hawkeye! What the hell did you do that for?" Mustang reproached.

"You know as well as I do that you're useless on rainy days. Please, stay back."

"Oh yeah, I forgot. It's kind of hard to get a spark going when it's raining," Havoc said, adding his ten cents to Mustang's growing gloom.

"It's fortunate that you can't create a blast from your flames, state alchemist," Scar stated."For I will destroy all who interfere with my mission right here and now!"

"I'd like to see you try it!" Major Armstrong punched the spot where Scar was standing, but the criminal evaded his attack."You have to be quick to avoid my fists. Not bad, not bad at all. You said you were going to destroy us all; in that case, why don't you start by defeating me? We'll see how you stand against the Strong Arm Alchemist, Alex Louis Armstrong."

"Yet another state alchemist," Scar stated. "God is putting them in my path."

"Not backing down? In that case, your courage will earn you a demonstration. I'll show you the awesome alchemy that has been passed down the Armstrong family for generations.

While the Major and Scar fought it out, Havoc when to assist Edward. He helped him to sit up, keeping an arm around his shoulders to keep him from falling over again. "Who is he?"

"The same man who killed Shou Tucker and his daughter," Havoc replied.

"It's him," Edward stated.

"Major, watch what you're doing! We don't want to destroy the city, do we?" Havoc warned after seeing how many transmutations the Major had already done.

"What do you mean? Destruction and reconstruction are part of the same coin. You must destroy to create, that is the law of the universe," stated the newly shirtless Major.

"Did he have to strip?" Hawkeye grumbled.

"Are you surprised?" Havoc asked. "He's clearly insane."

"Non-alchemists may fail to see the inherent truth of that statement, but we understand. Don't we, Scar?"

"So this killer is an alchemist too," Mustang added.

"That's it. The stages of the transmutation process are construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction. This guy might just stop at the deconstruction phase," Edward stated.

"But if Scar's an alchemist, doesn't that mean he's strayed from whatever his ways of God are too?" Havoc questioned.

"And what would be his reason for targeting only alchemists with state certification?" Mustang added as Scar and Armstrong continued their battle. When the chance was given, Hawkeye shot her rifle three times in Scar's direction.

"You get him?" Mustang asked.

"He's too fast, I only grazed him with one shot."

The impact of her shot was enough to send his glasses to the ground and to cause a minor wound on his right temple. "Red eyes and brown skin, that means he's an " the Major started

"Of course, he's an Ishvalan," Mustang finished. "You might as well give up, Scar. You're not getting away." Just then, Scar slammed his hand to the ground, transmuting it to break apart under his feet. A cloud of dirt and dust surrounded everyone before dying down to expose the giant hole.

"Bastard's in the sewers," Havoc stated.

"Stay put," Mustang ordered. "Sorry Armstrong, but thank you for buying us enough time to surround him."

"I was hardly buying time," Armstrong remarked "It was all I could do to not get myself killed."

"So, is it over now?"

The Major and Colonel turned to look over their left shoulders to spot the man in question. "Lt. Colonel Hughes, where have you been this whole time?" Armstrong asked.

"I thought it best to lay low."

"You didn't think about maybe backing us up!" Mustang shouted.

"Of course not," Hughes shamelessly replied. "A person like me shouldn't get dragged into a freak show with you pack of pseudo humans. It's bad for my health!" He turned to his right and addressed his own subordinates. "Don't just stand there, we've got things to do. Deploy troops, circulate his description."

Edward watched as the soldiers moved around to get reports filled out. "Oh no, Alphonse. Alphonse!" He ran to his little brother as Katy sat beside him in case the armored boy tipped over. Brandon tried to collect as many parts of Al's armor and Ed's automail as he could, but it proved to be a difficult task. "Alphonse, talk to me. Are you alright?"

"That suit of armor is Elric's younger brother, isn't it?" Armstrong asked.

"There's got to be a long story behind that one," Havoc commented.

"Come on Al," Edward said. "Al, can you hear me?" In a surprise movement, Alphonse lifted his left arm, and punched Ed square in the face.

"Why didn't you run away when I told you to? What kind of idiot are you?" Alphonse shouted.

"No way. I'm not just gonna run away and leave you all behind," Ed replied.

"Which is exactly why you're an idiot!" and again Alphonse gave himself the task of punching his brother.

"Why do you keep punching me like that for? If I'd run away, you all could've been killed, you know that."

"And maybe we wouldn't have been! Making the decision to die is something only an idiot does!"

"Hey, easy on the idiot stuff! I'm still you're older brother, got that?"

"I'll say it all I want to!" Alphonse shouted as he grabbed Ed's shirt collar. "Survival is the only way, Ed. Live on and learn more about alchemy. You could find a way to get our bodies back and help people like Nina. You can't do that by dying! I won't allow you or anyone of us to abandon the possibility of hope and choose a meaningless death." His grip on Edward slackened as his arm broke off and fell to the floor. "OH GREAT! AND NOW MY ARM'S COME OFF BECAUSE MY BROTHER'S A BIG FAT IDIOT!"

"You're right about all that Al," a saddened Alyson said as she approached the two brothers. "If Edward's an idiot that so am I, maybe even a bigger one. I'm sorry for basically giving myself up. I just…I can't afford to see anyone else die. First, it was my father, then your mother, and now Nina. I just can't bear to have someone else close to me die."

Katy looked at Al's broken arm the laid before her. "We're really falling apart, aren't we guys?"

"We look like we belong in a junk yard," Edward added.

"But we're still alive," Brandon added as he sat by his sister who, in turn, embraced him.

"We are," Edward replied.

Mustang and Hughes watched the T:5s as the sun finally started to come out. "Good grief, I've stumbled into an extra special type of freak show," Hughes remarked.

"Yeah, sorry," Mustang replied.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone upstairs," Hughes added. "If this got out things would get complicated."

"Yeah, the older brother aside," Mustang started. "I wouldn't even know how to explain the younger brother's body. The other three can easily pass on as normal until they act up."

"I don't envy you," Hughes remarked. "This is one tough customer you're dealing with."

"And now we know he's Ishvalan."

Lieutenant Hawkeye , Havoc, and Major Armstrong approached the T:5s. Hawkeye draped her military jacket over Edward's shoulders while giving Alyson a comforting smile. Perhaps, they thought, living really can be full of hope.

* * *

"The Ishvalans were a race of people that lived to the East of us. They believe that their God, Ishvalla, was the one absolute creator. Even after they were annexed into the country there were still conflicts between us and them. Then, thirteen years ago, a military officer accidently shot and killed an Ishvalan child and that led to a full blown civil war. One uprising led to another and before long the rebellion had spread to the entire Eastern sector. After seven years of this, an order came down from the military high command to exterminate Ishval. Many state alchemists were brought in to act as human weapons. Needless to say, the state alchemists produced striking results. That man is an Ishvalan survivor, in a sense his revenge is justified," Mustang said as he sat at his desk.

"No way," Edward replied. "There's no justification for taking revenge on people who had nothing to do with it. He's just dressing his ugly lust for vengeance in the mantle of his God and calling himself an agent of justice."

"Still, the fact is he's coming at us with full force. We can't let ourselves be killed for his cause. Next time, there will be no more talk, got it?"

"Yes sir," Mustang's subordinates answered.

"Well T:5s, what are you going to do now?" Hughes asked. "What's the plan?"

"We're going to keep moving," Edward answered. "We can't just sit around, not as long as we're still alive."

"Brother."

"Before we can make any headway on getting your body back, we have to get my arm back to normal," Ed said as he put his hand on Al's armor head. "After all, I'm the only one who knows how to bond your soul to the armor." He looked over at the two teenage girls that leaned against the wall. "Alyson, Katy, do you think you could whip me up a new arm?"

"Like we have a choice, we're basically your full-time mechanics," Alyson replied. "Just give us a day or two for our injuries to heal and we'll start."

"We've got no choice, it's been a long time since we've gone back," Katy added. "A good majority of our supplies, sketches, and measurements are over there."

"Yeah, looks we're going back to Resembool," Edward declared.

* * *

**AN: And thus the end of chapter five. I can't wait until the next chapter, it's honestly one of my favorites because we get to learn a bit about Alyson's family and the crew goes back to their hometown. Also, I get to introduce a new minor OC, Alyson's mom, Celty Evans. At least you know a little of what's to come.**

**Anyway, I made it within a week again so that makes me happy! I'd like to say thanks to starrat for reviewing the last chapter and Shiinku for following this story. I'm hoping that I get some more reviews with this chapter and possibly some new followers/favorites. I know people are reading this story so that makes me feel better but I could really use the feedback so I know what I need to improve on or make better to keep all the readers happy. So if you could please drop a little review! I'm currently working on the next chapter but it'll still be posted sometime next week because my next few days include college visits, Senior pictures and an uncomfortable visit to the orthodontist. Well, enough of my boring life...I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Tangled Souls and I'll see you all next week!**


	6. Road of Hope

**Chapter 6: Road of Hope**

_Central City Train Station_

The T:5s were already settled in their train, prepared to head home when…"Hey" Lt. Colonel Hughes showed up.

Edward opened up the window, "Lieutenant Colonel?"

"The folks at Easter Command Center were a little too busy to make it down here, so I came to see you guys off instead."

"Great, but would you mind telling me what the Major's doing here?" Edward asked.

"For protection," Hughes replied. "What would happen if Scar came after you again? None of you are in any shape to fight. The Major's here to help, just try to grin and bear it."

"Children can be so stubborn," the Major commented.

"SHUT UP! WE'RE NO CHILDREN!" the four teens yelled out, before Edward pointed out a key detail. "Anyway, are you sure Al made it onboard?"

"Of course," the Major proudly replied.

_Baaaaaa…_

"I thought he might get lonely without a little company."

"MY BROTHER ISN'T SOME KIND OF FARM ANIMAL!"

A buzzer went off, signaling the train's departure. "Well, it's time," Hughes remarked as he took a step back from the window. He raised his right arm to salute the passengers. "Okay, you all have a safe trip. Stop in and give me a shout next time you make it to Central."

* * *

The train had travelled all night and was making its first stop. The four teens that escaped the cargo compartment treatment had dozed off every once and awhile. The Major read a book to occupy his time but momentarily looked out the window. Apparently, he recognized something or someone because he leaned towards the window, crushing Edward against the glass.

"Doctor Marcoh?" the Major called out to a man. "Doctor Marcoh, that is you, isn't it? It's me, Alex Louis Armstrong from Central." The man turned around to confirm it had been who the speaker claimed to be, only to run away.

"A friend of yours?" Katy asked.

"He's from Central, a talented state alchemist. He was researching into possible medical applications for alchemy, but after the Ishvalan Civil War he went missing. Just disappeared," the Major replied.

"Come on, Major. We're going after him," Alyson said as she got up from her seat. "A guy like this doctor might know a few useful things about bio-alchemy."

…

"Excuse me, do you happen to know who this person is?" the Major asked, holding up a very realistic sketch of Marcoh.

"Wow Major, you can really draw," Edward remarked.

"The art of portraiture has been passed down the Armstrong family for generations."

"That man looks like Doctor Maro to me," the civilian answered. "All of our town's doctors were drafted to help out during the civil war. Then Doctor Maro came here, he's really been a life saver."

…

"This is it, according to the townspeople Marcoh lives here," Alyson stated as the group made their way up the home's outer stairs. Armstrong rounded up the line, carrying Al's armored body in a crate over his shoulder.

"Hello? Doctor Marcoh?" Edward said, knocking several times before opening the door. As he opened the door, Marcoh held a gun to his face and shot at Edward who barely managed to dodge the bullet.

"Alright, now tell me what you're doing here," Marcoh anxiously ordered, never dropping hold of his gun. "Have you come to take me back?!"

"Please doctor, calm down," Armstrong insisted.

"I don't ever want to go back, anything but that," the doctor pressed on as his hold on the gun started to shake.

"That's not it, please listen," the Major continued.

"You're here to silence me then!"

"No, nothing like that," Armstrong calmly replied as the teens grew weary of the accusations.

"I won't be tricked by you!"

The Major gruffly sighed before launching the large crate that held Alphonse at Marcoh. "I'll ask you one more time, please calm down!"

"ALPHONSE!" the teens cried out.

* * *

"So, you changed your name and decided to live in hiding way out here in the countryside. If the rumors I've heard can be believed, when you disappeared you took top secret materials with you," the Major stated.

"I couldn't handle it anymore," Marcoh added. "Order or no order, to have to dirty my hands researching that _thing_ was too much."

"What thing is that?" Brandon asked.

"It took so many lives; during the civil war so many innocent died because of it. I could spend my whole life trying and still never atone for the things I've done. But I had to do something so I came here to be a doctor, to save lives instead of taking them."

"Doctor, what exactly were you ordered to do research on?" Katy asked. "What thing?"

"The Philosopher's Stone." The news earned a gasp from each one of the T:5s and the Major himself. "The top secret materials that I took were my research documents and the stone itself."

"You mean you still have it? It's here?" Edward questioned. At that moment, the doctor pulled out a vile with a red liquid from his jacket pocket. "How can that be the Stone, it's a liquid." The doctor uncorked the vile and spilled the contents onto the table. Once it hit the surface, the liquid settled into the form of a stone.

"The Sage's Stone, the Grand Elixir, the Celestial Stone, the Red Tincture, the Fifth Element," Marcoh listed off. " Just as the Philosopher's Stone is called by many names it can also take many forms. It is not necessarily a stone. This is an incomplete product, however, there's no way to tell when it will reach its limit and become unusable."

"Finished or not, it demonstrated plenty of power during the Ishvalan Civil War, right?" Alyson asked. "It's just like the stone that false priest had in Liore. It was incomplete, but it still amplified his powers considerably."

"If imitation stones this powerful can be produced, who's to say a completed product can't be created?" Edward remarked. He slammed down his hand as he stared Marcoh down from his seat. "Please Doctor Marcoh, we need access to your research materials."

"Major, who exactly are these kids?" Marcoh asked.

"These kids are state alchemists, doctor."

"But they're only children!" he replied, pinching the bridge of his nose."After the war, there were many state alchemists who turned in their certifications because they refused to serve as human weapons anymore. And now children."

"You think we don't know what we signed up for? We know what we're doing but we don't have any choice," Edward replied, gripping his right shoulder. "If this is a mistake, then it's a mistake I have to make. There is no other way."

…

"I see, so you've committed the taboo," Marcoh said as he lifted his gaze from Edward to look over Al's body. "Amazing, the ability to transmute a specific person's soul like this." He looked over to the three remaining alchemists."And you were used to commit the ultimate taboo…and you managed to survive. Maybe one as talented as you would be able to produce a complete Philosopher's Stone…"

"So "

"But I can't show you my research."

"Why not?" Edward asked.

"You must not seek after the Stone."

"Not even if it's to get our bodies back?" Edward pressed on.

"Never, this is the Devil's research," Marcoh replied. "If you chase the Stone you will go through Hell."

"WE'VE ALREADY BEEN THROUGH HELL!" the normally polite Alyson yelled.

"Please…please, just leave."

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Ed?" the Major asked as the group waited for their train. "Even an incomplete Philosopher's Stone could be useful. You could've taken it from the doctor by force."

"Yeah, I wanted it so badly I could almost taste it. But still…"

"But still, we don't want it that badly that we would deprive the town of their only doctor to get it," Alyson finished.

"We've gained plenty just by finding out that the Philosopher's Stone can be made," Al added.

"Now we'll just have to find some other way to do it," Brandon added as his older sister nodded.

"What about you, Major?" Kay asked as the train pulled in. "How do you feel about not reporting back to Central about Marcoh's location?"

"I met a simple small town doctor today," Armstrong replied as he adjusted the crate over his left shoulder. "Can't see any real reason to report that."

"Wait," a voice called out. The gang turned around and were surprised to see his face once again.

"Doctor Marcoh?" Alyson questioned. He then handed her a folded piece of paper.

"This is where my research materials are. If you're certain you won't regret learning the truth in the end, start looking here. Look closely, maybe you'll find the truth hidden within the truth. I've said too much already. I hope the day will come when you are able to restore your bodies."

…

"Aly, what does the note say?" Alphonse asked.

"National Central Library, first branch."

"I get it," Armstrong commented as he looked down at the paper. "Like hiding a tree in the forest. Finding one book in that giant library will be difficult indeed."

Edward looked at Alyson and smiled. "Finally another clue about the Stone."

* * *

Marcoh returned home from the train station, closing his front door. He sighed at the events that occurred and at the fact that he had disclosed terrible information to children. However, he didn't have much time to grieve about that.

"I've been looking for you, Marcoh," a lusty voice stated.

* * *

_Resembool_

"Looks like this place hasn't changed a bit," Alyson remarked as he looked at her house. "Den, come here boy!" she called to her black and white dog. "You've grown a lot haven't you."

"Well if it isn't my little girl," Alyson's mom said, standing at the doorway. Alyson had proven to be an almost exact carbon copy of her mother. Mrs. Evans was still young for a mother which brought out her physical features even more. Her straight black hair ended just above her shoulders, framing her face perfectly. Her dark hair perfectly brought out the color of her brown eyes. Seeing the pair together, anyone could identify them as mother and daughter just by the mix of features the girl had received from her parents.

"Hey mom, brought some company," Alyson greeted, pointing to her friends and Major.

"Oh dear, what have you done now?" she asked, noticing Edward's lack of arm and Al's crate contained body.

"Yeah, a lot has happened Aunt Celty," Ed replied. "Think you can fix us up?"

"Mom, this is Major Alex Louis Armstrong," Alyson introduced as the Major put Alphonse down.

"I'm Celty Evans, nice to meet you." She turned to Edward and looked down at the golden haired boy. "I know I haven't seen you for awhile Ed, but you've gone and grown smaller."

"Oh no, here we go," Katy remarked as she moved towards the porch steps, deciding to get comfortable.

"It's like this almost every time we come over here," Alyson added, taking a seat next to Katy. "Just had to go there, didn't you mom?"

"Aunty, you've got it wrong," Edward replied, showing a bit of self restraint as he held his anger at bay. "You're supposed to say "How big you've grown lately Ed.""

"But why would she say something that's clearly untrue?" Brandon interrupted, not even aware he had signed his own death certificate.

"I'M STILL TALL ENOUGH TO KICK YOUR BUTT!" Edward yelled. "BRANDON YOU TRAITOR!"

"ENOUGH!" the two teen girls yelled, letting Brandon evade certain death by Edward's hand.

…

"OH NO! THIS IS ALL THAT'S LEFT!" Alyson shrieked, holding up the small bits of automail.

"Yeah, sorry," Edward responded comfortably from his seat on the couch. "It's a little smashed up."

"A little smashed up…a little? I know it was bad but this is worse than I had imagined. Ed, do you see what you've done to my beautiful creation? I slaved over this and you got it destroyed on a matter of seconds."

"It's basically the same, it's just in smaller pieces," Edward answered, earning him a punch to the face.

"Idiot, you only manage to worry me," Alyson sighed. "I honestly don't see why Katy and I put so much time into something just for you to end up breaking it to bits."

* * *

"Alright, I see," Mrs. Evans stated as she placed Den's food bowl on the ground. "In order to get this information you need you want to go to Central as soon as possible. Am I right?"

"Yeah, this is kind of a rush order," Ed replied.

Mrs. Evans had Edward sit on the couch again, extending his legs straight out and placing them side by side. "It's not just the arm, your leg needs adjusting too."

"Guess your growth's not completely stunted after all," Alyson teased.

"SHUT UP!"

"The leg aside, to shape the arm in we'll have to build it from scratch," Mrs. Evans added.

"Is there any chance you could have it done in a week?" Edward asked.

"Give us some credit Ed," Katy replied as Mrs. Evans detached his leg.

"Three days," Celty added. "But you'll have to make do with this spare leg for now."

"It's a little difficult to walk on a leg I'm not used to," Edward remarked once he stood, nearly toppling over.

"We'll be finished before you get used to it," Katy commented as she pulled out some paper drafts from the shelves.

"Three days, huh? Between machining, assembling, connecting, and finishing, that's three all nighters," Alyson calculated.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble," Ed stated, a tint of pink flooding his cheeks slowly.

"Well, we need to get to Central as soon as possible right?" Alyson asked. "Then Katy and I will work our butts off for you, but you better believe you're gonna owe us big time for this."

…

Outside, Major Armstrong was chopping wood in his own special, shirtless way. Apparently, wood had no chance of staying intact when faced with one of his punches. Alphonse rested against a barrel and Brandon joined him to keep him company. They sat admiring the scenery of their old home, looking out into the distance to see an abundance of green prairie.

"The wood you requested," the Major stated as he proceeded to make his way into the house.

"Thank you."

"I haven't seen Edward anywhere around the house in awhile," he added.

"Yeah, he said he was going off to visit his mother's grave," Mrs. Evans replied.

* * *

Edward walked down the all too familiar winding path. Den walked by his side, carrying a bouquet of white flowers in his mouth. Down along the path, two sheep herders recognized Edward.

* * *

"Major, what kind of lives have these kids been leading nowadays?" Mrs. Evans asked as she tightened a screw on Ed's leg. "My daughter has yet to send me a letter and she occasionally calls."

"They're well known for their alchemy, even in a high profile place such as Central," the Major replied. "Sometimes that gets them into trouble; they seem to have a knack for finding it. But don't worry, they're alright. The T:5s are strong children."

"Strong, huh? Yes, I think you can call them that," she remarked.

"I'm curious Madam Evans, you speak of the Elric brothers and Piers siblings as if they were your own children," Armstrong stated as he picked up a photo of the kids with Trisha and Celty in the background.

"Of course, I've been involved in the four's life ever since they were born. I'm a friend of the Piers' family and I was very close to the Elric's mother. My husband was also their father's closest friend, they were old drinking buddies. One day, he up and left the village, abandoning his wife and sons," Celty explained. "I don't even know whether he's alive now or not."

"Come to think of it, where are the Piers' parents and young Alyson's father?"

"The Piers' live further down the road, so I have to make sure to get them home as to not worry their parents," she answered, her voice dropping as she thought of the next answer. "But my husband…gone, Major. He was killed in the civil war. My husband was a state alchemist and a surgeon. He went to the battlefield to help in anyway. There were never enough doctors for all of the injured soldiers."

"That was…a terrible war," the Major added.

"Yes, it was indeed," she agreed, trying to keep her tore up feelings inside. "Oh, looks like I should get supper started. You look like you could it a lot, but don't worry, there's plenty."

"Oh no, please don't trouble yourself on my account."

"Food always tastes better with guests anyway. We also have an empty patient's cot and some spare bedding if you'd like. The boys don't have anywhere else to stay but here. Katy and Brandon will head home after supper, even if they try to argue with me. Adding one more guest wouldn't be an inconvenience to us."

"What about the house they grew up in?" the Major asked.

"It's gone now; the brother's don't have any home to return to. The day they left after Ed and the others had gotten their state certification, they burned down their own house. My guess is they did it because with no house to come home to, there could be no turning back."

…

"I'm back "

"Oh Edward Elric," the Major said in tears as he wrapped his arms around Ed. The embrace was practically suffocating the little alchemist, but no one really wanted to cut in. "What unyielding love to try and bring your mother back to life! What a tremendous sacrifice to give up your arm in order to transmute your brother's disembodied soul! What determination to burn down your own house to make sure there was no retreat. Come Edward, allow me to offer you this comforting embrace!"

"Stay back! Don't rub your chest on me!"

* * *

When Ed woke up the next morning, he heard the sound of machinery and the buzz of scraping metal. Still in a daze, he walked over to Alyson's room, noticing her busy at work at her desk.

"Look at you working so hard early in the morning," Ed commented as he stood behind Alyson's chair.

"Been up all night," Alyson quickly replied before getting back to work.

…

Later that day, Ed walked back into Alyson's room only to find her in the exact same place. She measured out the metal shoulder piece as Edward stood beside her.

"You're still at it busy as a bee," he commented, winking and giving a thumbs up. "At this rate you must be almost done."

"One more all nighter," she replied, the room engulfing itself in the mechanical buzz again.

* * *

The next day was the same routine of Edward making his way over to his mechanic's room. Instead of saying anything, Edward just observed, moving around Alyson's perimeter. It didn't even take a full minute before she slammed her hands down on her desk and pushed herself out of her seat.

Grabbing Ed's shirt collar, she tossed him out of her room and into the hall way. "GET OUT!"

…

"They said it would take three days, right? So give them three days," Alphonse said from his stationed position against the barrel.

Edward groaned as he laid down on the grass, Den making himself comfortable next to him. "Yeah I know, I know. It's just when I think of a clue to the Stone sitting in Central library somewhere I get so impatient."

"Patience is a virtue," Brandon added as he went up to pet Den.

Two sets of footsteps came patting down the porch steps and into the grass. Alyson and Katy came running, holding Ed's arm and leg, respectively. "Here you go! It's all ready!" they shouted, their faces coated in small patches of grease.

…

"Ready?" Mrs. Evans asked Edward, who was already stiffening.

"Yeah…"

"On one…"

"On two…"

"Three," both Evans women said as they turned the small levers on each of Ed's joints. Katy held his left shoulder down so he wouldn't squirm as much but the young alchemist still groaned and jolted.

"That's the worst part every time when the nerves have to connect like that," he said. "Once we have the Philosopher's Stone, I can kiss that pain goodbye."

"Our biggest source of income, I'll be sad to see you go," Mrs. Evans remarked as she tightened the connection, causing Edward to jerk again.

"Hold still, do you want me to do this right or not?" Alyson complained before tightening her own end. "It's so lovely, the smell of the oil and the hum of the ball barracks. The rugged yet amazingly beautiful form created through anatomical engineering. How wonderful you are automail!"

"Crazy tomboy gear head," Edward remarked.

"You're lost without me, alchemy freak," Alyson retorted.

"Alright, we're done," Mrs. Evans commented.

"Well?" Katy asked as Edward moved the two limbs around.

"Yeah, it feels good."

"We increased the percentage of chrome this time so it should be less prone to rusting," Alyson added. "The trade off is that it's not quite as strong so don't try anything crazy. HEY LISTEN UP!"

"Hey Al it's your turn," Edward yelled as he ran out of the house.

Brandon retrieved all of Al's broken pieces as Armstrong moved him to a blanket set on the ground. "You can fix him right here?" the Major questioned.

"Yup, you have to know the trick to it though," Edward replied as Brandon removed Al's helmet. "Major, you see that seal on the inside of his back? That's the medium between Al's soul and the armor so I have to be sure not to ruin it." He clapped his hands and in no time Al's armor was completely restored. "There you go, good as new!"

"You guys ready to try it out?" Brandon asked as he took on a defensive stance.

"Yeah!"

"It'll be quiet around here without those kids," Mrs. Evans said as she watched the three boys spar.

"So Brother, now what?" Al asked.

"It's time to head to Central and find Doctor Marcoh's documents. We leave first thing tomorrow morning."

…

"Sleeping with his tummy out again," Al whispered as he looked over his brother's snoring form. "What am I going to do with him?"

"It's like you're the older one, huh Al?" Mrs. Evans commented, giving the younger brother a small smile.

"He can be a handful; someone has to look after him."

Alyson walked over to the couch, extending the blanket in her arms over Edward's body. "How old are the two of you boys now?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"I'm fourteen and Brother's fifteen."

Once she made sure Ed was fully covered by the blanket, she made her way over to the free space next to his head. "It's surprising, huh? Someone as small as he and as old as me, we could both be used as human weapons. It's almost funny, especially watching him sleep," Alyson added with a smile.

"Thanks, both of you," Al stated.

"What's this? Why so formal?" Alyson joked.

"Aunty, Aly…I'm so grateful to you for always welcoming us like we're really family. He won't ever say it, but I know Brother feels the same way."

"Don't you worry dear, we know he feels that way too. He doesn't have to say it," Mrs. Evan remarked.

"Aunty, Aly…thank you."

* * *

"Thank you again for everything, Aunty," Edward said as he tugged his white gloves on.

"Sure, no problem."

"Hey, where's Katy and Aly?" Al asked.

"Right here," a sleepy Katy answered as she supported an equally exhausted Alyson out of the house.

Carefully, Alyson detached herself from Katy and made her way to her mother. "Thanks for everything, mom. I love you," she said as she hugged her mother. "I'll contact you…soon…" Her body became limp and she fell against her mother, almost falling asleep.

"Want me to wake her?" the amused mom asked.

"Nah, she'd probably just nag me," Edward replied. "I'll get the whole "Do you maintenance lecture later on." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Al scoop Katy up into his arms, carrying her bridal style as she too started to nod off. "I got her," he added, taking a cue from his little brother. He wrapped one arm around her waist and he took one of her arms, placing it around his neck.

"Hold on a second," Mrs. Evans called out as Den sat by her legs. "You should come back once in awhile and have dinner."

"You want us to come all this way into the mountains just for some dinner?" Edward joked.

Mrs. Evans laughed at the boys amused faces. "Take good care of my girl, Ed. I'm entrusting her to you, just make sure to come back soon."

The teenage boy became flustered as he looked at Alyson's mother, the ground soon becoming very interesting to him as he turned around. "Yeah, we'll come back sometime," he replied as he and the others started to walk towards the train station. He looked over to Alyson who was trying to resist sleep as she had been for the past three days. He couldn't suppress the laugh that came to him as he saw Alyson finally accepting defeat.

* * *

**AN: I literally typed this within two days even after a hectic week. This is honestly one of my favorite chapters of the fic...there are other chapters that top this one. I like the fact that I'm finally able to introduce Mrs. Evans because she's like the younger version of Pinako but also she reflects my own mother and the characteristics of some of my own friend's mothers. Obviously, Alyson and Katy are meant to be the Winry's of the story with the whole love of engineering. They'll finally get some physical fight scenes instead of just playing minor roles. I'm trying to build on my OC's slowly so people can appreciate them and identify with them.**

**Anyway, I'm glad I got through this chapter and I'll try to update around the same time again next week. I can't make any promises because it will be hectic around here because my mom is going into surgery and my dad and I have to help her out. I'll try to make time to write but please be easy on me if I can't update. Thanks for reading and a special thanks to starrat for reviewing the last chapter. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter of Tangled Souls. Follow, favorite, or review...or all three! Hope to see you next week! And happy 4th of July!**


	7. Hidden Truths

**So I decided to put the Author's Note up here for a change ^_^ Anyway, here's chapter 7 for all the readers! And as a bonus, I've got a double update today! Yup, Chapter 8 will be added shortly so have patience. This is record timing, it's a day before my usual weekly update and I've nailed down 2 chapters in 24 hours. Yeah, running on little sleep, drinking soda, and eating many sweets...if this pattern becomes a regular thing I'll become L soon (though I wouldn't mind considering he's my fave Death Note character). Well, I've wasted enough of your time with my mindless babbling. ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

******Chapter 7: Hidden Truths**

"AHHHHH!" Edward yelled. "Doctor Marcoh's research, it's all gone!" The Major and the T:5s stood in front of National Central Library, or better said, what was left of the poor building.

* * *

"In the end, burning the entire place down was easier."

"Oh, is that what you were doing in Central?"

"Yes, the T:5 kids found out about Marcoh's research; something had to be done about it," Lust replied. She and Gluttony were perched on the roof of a tower, looking down at the peaceful city. "With that issue taken care of, I thought I would come to see how things are progressing in East City." Lust noticed Gluttony smelling the air, tracking down a certain scent. "Is he here, Gluttony?"

"I smell him…I can smell him. The scar-faced Ishvalan, he's close. I can taste his stink, like blood. I still get to eat him, right?"

"Oh yes, down to the last strand of hair."

…

Scar used the sewers of East City to hide out from authorities. He kept walking along the narrow path, trying to avoid falling in the filthy water. Mice started scurrying, traveling in the same direction as he was, trying to flee from an unexpected danger. Scar turned around only to be met with a charging Gluttony.

Scar grabbed onto Gluttony's face, only to be met with Gluttony's hand latching onto his side. Scar transmuted Gluttony's left arm off, avoiding damage, but out of nowhere Lust came up behind him with her sharp fingers. The impact of the blow and Scar's defense led to a huge explosion to occur, creating a hole in the sewer wall.

* * *

"Scar hasn't been sighted, not once since that incident with the T:5s," Lieutenant Hawkeye addressed.

"Maybe he's not even in East City anymore," Havoc theorized as he looked down at the city map.

"I hope you're wrong about that," Colonel Mustang replied as he sat at his desk, looking out the window. "This case has obviously gotten too much for Central to handle. If I can close it quickly enough, I'll be golden." A smirk appeared on Mustang's face before he turned in his chair to face his subordinates. "I've got a ladder to climb and this is how it's done. I need every mark in my favor that I can get, at least until I've assumed the office of Fuhrer, that is," he added, bringing a smile to Havoc and Hawkeye's faces.

"You may not want to display your ambitions quite so nakedly, sir," Hawkeye suggested.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to remember that in the future."

"Reporting in, sir. We just received news about an explosion occurring on the Marrow River," a breathless soldier stated as he barged into the office.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

At the scene, damage was easily seen but with little explanation of a source. Hawkeye observed a torn yellow coat found in the river, the hemline torn and doused in blood. "There's no mistaking it, this was definitely Scar's jacket," she stated.

"Have you found the body?" Mustang asked Havoc.

"Not yet, but we're still searching."

"Either way, he can't be in too good of a shape if he lost this much blood," Hawkeye added.

"Yeah, but we do this by the book. We need to find hard proof that he's dead." Mustang turned to face Havoc yet again, the Lieutenant taking a drag from his cigarette. "Alright Lieutenant Havoc, you and your men will work day and night to clear out this debris. I want his body found. Don't take so much as a coffee break until that's done, do you understand?"

"Come on Colonel, can't you cut us some slack?" Havoc complained. "At this rate you're gonna work us all to death."

"Shut up, I don't get to relax until I've seen his body and that means you don't get to either."

"I guess we'll get to work then," Havoc sighed dejectedly.

Up on the bridge, looking down at the scene, a crowd of people gathered to watch the investigation. "Looks like he got away," Lust said as she adjusted her trench coat.

"I didn't get my snack," a teary eyed Gluttony added.

"Yes, I know, maybe next time. Though, I think we can safely assume that Scar will be out of the game for awhile. I suppose I'll be heading back to Central again. I need to report to Father about everything that's happened here."

* * *

"There's nothing left here but ashes, everything's gone," Edward said as he picked up a book, watching it as it crumbled in his hand.

"Major Armstrong." The unknown voice caused the gang to turn around, only to be met with two saluting soldiers.

"Second Lieutenant Ross and Sergeant Brosh, to what do we owe this pleasure?" the Major questioned.

"You have been ordered to report back to the Command Center, sir," Second Lieutenant Ross informed.

"We'll be taking over supervision of the T:5s effective immediately," Sergeant Brosh added.

"Very well, they're yours," Armstrong replied.

"What is this?" Edward complained. "Just when we think we're home free they saddle us with more bodyguards. THIS IS GETTING OLD!"

…

"All may not be lost. There's a woman who was well acquainted with the materials in the First Branch. Unfortunately, she wasn't working there anymore," Ross stated as she, Brosh, and the T:5s were riding their assigned car to the said woman's house.

"That sounds incredibly helpful," Edward sarcastically replied, as he crossed his arms.

"Something wrong?" Alphonse asked after noticing Brosh's intense stare.

"Oh, it's nothing," he replied. "Although, if you don't mind me asking, why are you wearing that suit of armor?"

The Elric brothers shared a nervous stare before answering with the same type of tone. "It's a hobby."

"A hobby? What kind of freaky hobby is that, Lieutenant?" Brosh quietly asked as he turned to face the female officer.

"Who are these kids anyway?" Ross added.

"So what do you say Al? Lovely view isn't it?" Edward asked in hopes of switching the subject.

"Oh yeah, yeah it's gorgeous."

"You two are idiots," the two teen girls commented.

…

When Brandon opened the door to the worker's home, they were all shocked by the amount of books she had crammed into the tiny living space. "Wow, there's gotta be a million of them!"

"Yeah, I used to rate bookworms on a scale of one to Alyson, but it's just been broke," Ed added.

"Is there really someone living in this place?" Brosh asked as he and Katy made their way through the narrow paths the bookshelves allowed.

"Miss Sheska, are you here? Miss Sheska?" Ross called out.

"Is someone there?" a muffled voice called out. "Please help me!"

"Guys, there's somebody under those books," Brandon said as he pointed to an outstretched hand in a pile of books.

Everyone started grabbing and throwing books, desperately digging in order to free Sheska. By the time they finished, everyone was out of breath or had books on their heads. "Thank you, I'm so sorry I got myself trapped under a whole mountain of books. I thought I was going to suffocate under there. Thank you all so much," Sheska said.

"So you're Sheska. That means you worked in the library?" Alyson asked.

"Oh the library. The word itself is so beautiful. I've loved books my entire life ever since I first learned how to read as a girl. That job was heaven!" The T:5s just watched as Sheska gave her overly dramatic response to a simple question. "But I forgot that I was supposed to be working, all I ever did was read so they fired me. If I don't find another job I'll never be able to move my poor, elderly mother into a better hospital. But I'm hopeless, the only thing I can do well is read. I'll never find another job as long as I live. I'm useless, a good for nothing! More pathetic than pond scum!"

"Um, excuse me," Alyson said as she raised her hand, hoping to cease the former librarian's tears. "There was one thing we wanted to ask you."

"Yes?"

"Do you remember seeing any research belonging to someone named Tim Marcoh?"

"Let's see…Tim Marcoh. Where do I know that name?" Sheska said with her hand on her chin. "Oh yes, of course. I remember now."

"Really?" Ed asked.

"Oh yes, I'm absolutely positive. There were some hand written notes stuffed into a bookcase where they didn't belong."

"The notes really were there after all," Ed said smiling at the news. "Which means they burned up along with everything else in the library," he added, causing all of the T:5s to collapse on the floor in grief.

"Did you want to read them? Is that why you're asking?" Sheska questioned.

"Yeah, but it's too late now," Katy answered as Alphonse helped her up.

"They're nothing but ashes," Brandon added.

"Sorry to bother you," Al said as the teens started to make their way to the door.

"I remember everything that was in them, would that help at all?" Sheska replied. The fact stopped the T:5s in their tracks, eyes wide open in shock. They turned around and moved towards Sheska as fast as they could with the same shocked expressions. It was enough to say that Sheska was a bit uncomfortable with the stares. "It's just how I am. I'm able to remember the content of any book I've ever read. It'll take awhile, but I could write them out for you."

The T:5s started dancing and jumping for joy, "Thank you bookworm! You're my hero!" Ed exclaimed as he took Sheska's hands in his.

"You're…welcome."

* * *

_**5 Days Later**_

"Here you are, complete copies of all of Tim Marcoh's notes," Sheska said, displaying volume after volume of notes. "Sorry, I know five days is a long time to wait but there was quite a lot to write down."

"Unbelievable," Alphonse said as he handed his brother a volume and taking one himself.

"There are some amazing people in this world," Brandon added as he tried to determine how many volumes there were.

"These are really Doctor Marcoh's research notes?" Katy asked as she glanced at a stack of notes

"They sure are, come and take a look at them," Sheska said as she handed Katy, Aly, and Brandon a volume each. "Written by Tim Marcoh, _One Thousand Easy Recipes_." The T:5s, Ross, and Brosh were confused by the title, especially the two officers.

"Six cups of rice, one carrot, two onions, salt. Oh great, does this mean we came all this way for a cookbook," Ross asked.

"Miss, which part of this made you think it was an important document?" Brosh asked.

"Is it not what you're looking for?" Sheska replied. "I all did was copy down what I remember."

"Wonderful, so this was just a wild goose chase," Brosh commented.

"Sheska, are you absolutely sure this is a flawless reproduction of the notes?" Alyson asked, her back facing Sheska and the officers.

"Yes, I'm one hundred percent certain."

"Then, thank you very much," Alyson answered, turning to give Sheska a smile. "You're incredible." She made her way over to the table, taking six volumes into her arms."Alright, let's get these back to the library."

"They should have related materials there," Katy added, handing a stack over to Sergeant Brosh.

"Oh, I almost forgot Sheska's fee," Alyson said. She took out a small notepad from her coat, wrote in it, and ripped the page out. "Lieutenant, here," she said as she handed Ross the paper. "This is my registration number and pocket watch for ID. Withdraw that amount from my annual research grants and make sure Sheska gets it, okay?"

"Right, I'll get on that right away, Miss. I assume I can just take this note down to the state alchemist office?"

"Yeah, that should work. Thanks again, Sheska. You're a life saver, bye!" Alyson added as she, the T:5s and Brosh left.

"From her research grants, huh?" Ross said as she opened the note. The two women screamed as they looked at the paper.

"Did she miss a decimal point somewhere?" Sheska asked.

"How does a girl like that, let alone three more from the team have this kind of money to throw around?" Ross questioned.

* * *

"I don't understand. These are cookbooks, what could they possibly have to do with alchemy?" Brosh asked.

"Alchemy's a powerful art, it can be incredibly dangerous if misused," Edward replied as he sat back and picked up a volume of notes. "In order to prevent that, alchemic research is always encrypted. These are designed to look like recipes to the average person, but they're actually advanced alchemical notes. Only the alchemist who originally wrote them can understand."

"If they're so heavily encrypted then how are you guys going to be able to decipher them?" Brosh asked, handing a volume over to Alyson.

"It's not going to be easy," Katy bluntly answered. "We'll have to use all of our alchemical knowledge."

"Well, I'm sorry but this sound way too complicated," Brosh stated, though his remark went to deaf ears.

"Ed," Alyson said, finally looking up from her volume. "There's a section in here about Green Tea."

"Green Tea?" Edward though aloud. "Are you thinking what I am?"

"Yeah, it might be a reference to the Green Lion of metallurgic alchemy," Alyson replied. "Do we have copies available of Flamel's codex or Lamspring's concerning the Philosopher's Stone?"

"Of course," Al replied as he set a stack of books down on the table.

"Alright, take a look at this here," Alyson pointed as Al leaned over. "And here too, you see?"

"Yeah, you're right," Al acknowledged.

"Hate to interfere, but there's something here too," Katy pointed out over Al's shoulder.

"Great, we've got a place to start. Let's do this!" Brandon exclaimed, earning a nod from the others.

…

Hours later, after much dissection, the T:5s were at the end of their ropes. They all had their heads on their work table, notes and books all around them. "Why does this encryption have to be so damn hard to figure out?" Edward groaned.

"Brother, maybe we should ask Doctor Marcoh about this directly," Al acknowledged.

"No way! That would be admitting defeat!" Edward replied.

"So this is a contest now?" Katy asked, lifting her head from her current resting place.

"Excuse me," a familiar voice called out, making all the T:5s lift their heads and look towards the doorway.

"Sheska!" Brandon exclaimed, happy to see someone from the outside world. Sergeant Brosh, who entered with Sheska, excused himself and resumed guard in the hallway with Second Lieutenant Ross. "Thanks to the money you gave me, Alyson, I was able to move my mother to a better hospital. I really appreciate it."

"No, it was no big deal, really," Alyson replied.

"Have you had any luck deciphering it so far?" Sheska asked, the comment causing the T:5s exhaustion and depression to return.

"Have you found another job yet?" Alphonse asked, only to have the same depression over Sheska.

"Anyway, you five made me feel better. It's nice to know that even a pathetic mess like me can help out sometimes, so thanks for that as well."

"You're not a pathetic mess," Alphonse commented. "I think that that kind of dedication you have for reading is a talent all on its own."

"And besides that, your memory is incredible. You should have more faith in yourself," Brandon added.

"Thanks Alphonse. Thanks Brandon."

"Yo!"

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes," Ed stated, watching the man walk into the room.

"Major Armstrong told me you five were here," Hughes said as he made his way to the table. "What gives Ed? I told you to give me a shot the next time you guys made it to Central."

"Something urgent came up, sorry," Ed replied as he rubbed the back of his head.

Outside, Brosh and Ross were having their own discussion over the situation. "They talk to Colonel Hughes like he's an old friend," Brosh pointed out.

"Just how high up are these kids?" Ross asked.

…

"We've had a lot of cases to deal with lately and we're still working on getting the Tucker chimera situation settled," Hughes said. He then took notice of the teen's solemn faces. "Sorry, I guess that brings up some unpleasant memories. Anyway, as if things weren't bad enough for us already, the First Branch had to burn down in the middle of all this."

"That's been a problem, huh?" Alyson asked.

"A big one. All our case records were stored in stacks at that location and trying to work without them hasn't been a picnic."

The T:5s turned to face Sheska. It took her a few seconds bur she understood what was about to happen. "Hey, Lt. Colonel. I think we've got the person you guys have been looking for," Kay stated.

"Well, I have read the military's criminal case records and I do remember them all." Sheska pointed out.

"That's all I needed to hear lady, you're hired. My office pays well, so don't worry," Hughes replied.

"Are you saying you want me to…thanks so much guys. I'll have faith, just like you told me to. Thank you."

"Come on now, off to work," Hughes stated as he dragged Sheska out with him.

"She may not be thanking us for long," Brandon remarked.

"How did you put it again, Al? I think dedication is a talent all on its own?" Edward asked. "Very smooth, little brother, very smooth."

"Well, it's something I always think whenever I see a certain someone and a few others I know," Al responded, a chuckle vibrating out of the armor.

"In that case a certain someone and the few others should hurry and get back to work," Edward added."Or you're gonna have to think of a new motivation phrase." The T:5s spent the rest of the afternoon trying to decipher the notes, occasionally throwing a fit of frustration. They worked day and night, working in shifts in order to get some rest. Gradually, they worked through multiple volumes of the notes.

* * *

Outside, a clock could be heard ringing in the distance.

"I'm awake," Brosh said after he started dozing off.

"The library's going to close soon," Ross added.

"They've been at it for ten days. I'm impressed they're still going after all this time," Brosh added as he grabbed the door handles.

"_TO HELL WITH IT!"_

The officers were taken aback by the scream, followed by hearing the noise of things being thrown across the room. Inside, they saw the T:5ds sitting in a circular formation. Katy had her face in her hands while Brandon had his fist firmly planted on the ground. Alphonse had a hand on his head, shaking his head no. Ed had his back facing towards the group while Alyson buried her face in her knees.

"What did you guys do to this place?" Brosh asked.

"Don't get angry if you can't crack it," Ross added. "Throwing things won't help."

"We did crack it," Brandon stated.

"We cracked the code and decrypted the notes," Alphonse added.

"Really, you did? Then that's a good thing, isn't it?" Brosh asked.

"There's nothing good about this damn it!" Edward snapped as he punched the floor. "This is the Devil's research, it should have been destroyed. Doctor Marcoh was right, it's evil."

"What's so evil about?" Brosh innocently asked.

"The main ingredient for a Philosopher's Stone," Alyson started, lifting her head, "is human life. In order to manufacture even a single stone, you have to make multiple human sacrifices."

"How could the military authorize research into something so horrible?" Brosh asked.

"I can't believe it…how awful," Ross added.

"Do us a favor, don't speak to anyone about this," Alyson ordered. "Please, just pretend you never heard any of it."

…

"What's this now, the T:5s are holed up in their rooms again tonight?" Armstrong asked.

"Yes, they haven't been eating either," Ross added.

"The fatigue must be catching up to them," Armstrong inquired. "They seemed to have devoted all their energy to these notes."

"They worked so hard to decipher those notes only to find that," Ross whispered to Brosh.

"It disturbs me too just thinking about it," Brosh responded. "I'd probably act the same way."

"What was that?" Armstrong noted.

"Nothing sir," the officers nervously answered.

Upstairs in the military hotel, the T:5ds were situated in the boys' room. The girls had their own but they didn't want to leave the boys alone nor did they want to be alone. Like past hardships, they would stick together to serve as a source of comfort.

"Brother, you should really get something to eat," Al said.

"No thanks." Edward looked up at the turning fan from his position on the hotel couch. Alphonse sat behind the couch, deciding to stay close to his brother. Brandon and Katy were looking at the night sky from the window, each sitting on two of the three beds. Alyson resumed her position from the library, sitting on the couch across from Edward. The eldest alchemist looked over to the brown and blue eyed girl. "Pretty awful, huh?"

"Mmmm," was all she could respond.

"You know Aly, it's like we try so hard to grasp the truth, but it always slips away." He extended his automail arm into the air, trying to reach for something. "And now that we finally have caught it, it turns out the truth is too dangerous to hold. I'm starting to think this is God's special way of torturing people who committed taboos."

"I wonder…if it will be like this all our lives," Alyson stated softly, breaking her silence.

Edward moved his stare from Alyson back to the turning fan, a familiar thought coming back to mind. "You know Al, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for awhile, but I guess I've been too afraid to say it."

"What?"

"I " Ed started before a knock pounded against the door.

"T:5s, I know you're in there. Open up, this is the Major."

"What do we do?" Brandon asked worriedly.

"We ignore him, that's what," Ed responded and at that same moment, the Major broke through the door.

"I know what it said. How tragic, to think that the legend of the Philosopher's Stone is built on such a terrible secret," Armstrong stated in a highly dramatic way.

"We're really sorry," Ross said as the T:5s glared daggers at her and Brosh.

"It's hard to stay quiet when someone like him asks you," Brosh finished.

"Imagine the military being behind something like that," the Major added, back in his normal tone. "Often the truth is more cruel than we bargain for."

This comment troubled Alyson as she sat upright and walked to the group that had assembled. "The truth."

"What is it, Aly?" Ed asked.

"Do you remember what Doctor Marcoh said at the station?" Alyson asked. "I didn't have a clue what he was talking about then, but now it's the same as with alchemical notes. What you can see on the surface is only a portion of the truth. There's still more to find here, there has to be."

…

"Currently, there are four operational alchemy laboratories in Central that have connections to the government. We can narrow it down even further, Marcoh worked in the Third Laboratory. We should start with that one, it's the most suspect," the Major pointed out on a map of Central.

"We've been to all the laboratories in the city," Brandon stated.

"Yeah, and no one was doing any remarkable research," Katy added.

"Here, what's this?" Edward asked pointing to a closed off building. "What's this building used for?"

"It was designed for the Fifth Laboratory, but it isn't currently in use," Ross answered. "The building isn't structurally sound so it's been classified as off-limits."

"It's there," Edward confidently remarked.

"How can you be so sure that's it?" Brosh asked.

"There's a prison right next door," Ed pointed out.

"Okay, so?"

"What was the main ingredient for a Philosopher's Stone?" Edward pressed on.

"You said it needed live humans," Brosh replied, the facts finally sinking in.

"There would be plenty of condemned criminals in the prison," Ed added. "Officially, they would be recorded as executed."

"They're using the prisoners to make the Stone," Ross said.

"Don't look at me like that, we don't like talking about this any more than you," Ed stated as he looked at the sickened soldiers.

"Prisons from other jurisdictions could be used too," Alyson remarked. "I wonder if the government is involved."

"Why do I have the feeling that we're getting involved in something really dangerous here?," Ross worriedly remarked.

"That's why we told you to pretend like you'd never heard anything," Alyson said, raising her voice in frustration.

"This has the potential of becoming a political nightmare before long," the Major stated. "I'll look into what we talked about tonight. In the meantime, officers speak of this to no one."

"Sir!"

"And you T:5s, behave yourselves," the Major added, causing the team to jump up in shock. "I know you five. You were thinking about sneaking into the building and taking a look around. Admit it!"

"WE WEREN'T! WE WEREN'T. WE PROMISE!" the teens exclaimed as they shook their heads no.

* * *

"Yeah, sure we weren't," Ed whispered as the team ran down the streets to the Fifth Laboratory. When they arrived, they saw multiple keep out signs around the vicinity of the lab. One thing, however, confirmed their theory.

"A guard posted at an unused building, interesting," Edward commented.

"That is suspicious,"Brandon added.

"How do we get in?" Al asked.

"We could make our own entrance," Ed suggested.

"They'd notice the light from the transmutic reaction," Katy replied as she looked up at the walls surrounding the lab.

"In that case…" Ed had Alphonse cup his hands together and kneel down on the ground in front of the wall. Ed placed his right foot in Al's hands and in the next moment, Al threw his brother into the air. When Ed landed on top of the wall, he uncoiled the wire that navigated along the gate and swung it down for the others to climb on. Once the teens regrouped, they jumped over the wall and landed safely within the lab's boundaries.

"They're not taking any chances are they?" Ed questioned as they noticed the barricaded entrance.

"Ed, over here," Alyson called out. She had found an air duct and removed the panel concealing it. "This seems to be the only way in that isn't closed off." Ed helped Alyson up into the duct, crawling safely inside. "Katy, Brandon, stay out here. If the guards catch wind of us, I'm counting on you to keep them from going inside and keep each other safe. Understood?"

"Yes," the siblings replied.

"Al, you need to wait here," Edward added as Alphonse hoisted him up into the duct.

"You two will be fine on your own?" Alphonse asked.

"Whether we're fine or not isn't the issue, you're too big to get through here," Edward replied, crawling behind Alyson as they ventured inside.

"IT's not like I asked to get this big," Alphonse sadly remarked as Katy and Brandon patted him on the back.

* * *

"66."

"What is it 48?"

"It looks as if we've got guests."

"Some dare devil idiots came to visit, did they?"

* * *

"Damn, it's even tighter in here than I thought," Edward said as he continued down the duct. "I couldn't get through this far if I were regular sized; lucky I've got a small body."

Alyson sighed as she calculated the exact timing it would take for the cliché reaction. "3…2…1…"

"OH NO! I JUST CALLED MYSELF A TINY LITTLE PIPSQUEAK!"

"Shut up before we get caught," Alyson harshly whispered. "I found a way out." She kicked off another panel and jumped out onto solid ground, Ed following suit.

"There are lights on," Edward commented. "Not currently in use, who are they trying to fool?"

"This is it alright," Alyson added.

…

"This is taking a long time," Alphonse said as he leaned against the laboratory.

A clank of metal was heard and the three teens turned around, only to be met with a suit of armor jumping from the roof as they wielded a butcher's knife.


	8. The Fifth Laboratory

**Okay, here's Chapter 8 as promised. Thank you to everyone who's been reading this fic so far, I hope you continue on this journey with me as I further update. I would appreciate reviews, however, I've never written fiction before and I'm trying to keep this as close to the actual Brotherhood series so I could use the feedback. Whether it be good remarks or postive criticism, it would really benefit me because I ultimately want to please you guys, the readers. No hateful stuff though, that's where I draw the line. If you wouldn't say it to your favorite character when he/she makes a mistake then don't you be leaving it on a review. Anyway, enough of the serious me, thanks again for reading. Let's venture on with Chapter 8!**

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Fifth Laboratory**

The three teens jumped back, avoiding the slashes thrown at them. "You move pretty well for your size," the suit of armor remarked as he glanced over at Alphonse."If you didn't though, it wouldn't be the effort to cut any of you down."

"Who are you?" Brandon asked.

"I'm Number 66," the armored man responded. "Well, that's the name they gave me when I came to work here, anyway. I'm going to cut you all up, nice and neat." The three teens took their defensive positions, ready for battle. Right now, they were hoping Ed and Aly were okay if they were dealing with a maniac. "All you have to do is sit back and scream."

…

Ed and Aly entered a room that contained a transmutation circle on the ground, small pools of blood spewed across various locations. Within the circle, a pentagon was neatly laid and each corner contained another circle.

"What is all this?" Alyson asked.

"Bet this is what they used to transmute a Philosopher's Stone," Ed replied.

"Yes, that's right." Ed and Aly turned in the direction the unfamiliar voice came from. "I don't know who you kids are, but you've sure figured out a lot just from looking at a transmutation circle." The mysterious figure walked out from the shadows, armor being the only thing visible about the man.

"We're just good like that," Edward replied. "Who are you, pal?"

"The one in charge of guarding this place from curious brats," the armored man answered. "For the moment, let's just say my name is Number 48 and believe me, I'm not your pal. My orders are to dispose of anyone who wanders in here, poking their noses where it doesn't belong. Try not to take it personally."

"Alright, we won't," Edward stated as the two alchemist clapped their hands and transmuted their signature weapons from automail and a metal armband; a blade running along their forearms.

"And you try not to take it personally when these two brats kick your ass," Aly added.

"Alchemists are you?" Number 48 pondered. In a blink of an eye, he charged towards Aly and stopped in front of her. "Alright then, let's see what you've got." With that came a swing of his sword straight to Aly's head. Lucky for her, she ducked in time but still felt the slight breeze that came from the sword's momentum. When the second hit came she was able to block I with her own blade, but the impact of the clashing swords sent her back a few steps. "A metal armband and a prosthetic arm huh? No matter, my sword can pierce steel as well as flesh." Number 48 lunged towards Aly, but Edward intercepted the blow. As Edward continued to fight off 48, Aly tried to regain stability on her feet. She didn't want to let anyone know, but the three all-nighters and aggravating days of research were taking a toll on her. Alyson got on her feet and looked for an opening. When she saw Edward struggling in a sword clash, Aly charged toward Number 48, landing a kick on his chest. The impact of her kick made a familiar sound, bringing a smirk on her face.

"My, my, what's this?" she started. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you're hollow inside."

"You're a perceptive one," Number 48 replied as he stood upright.

"She could tell from the sound," Edward added. "I spar against someone like you all the time."

"So there are people like me on the outside too, are there?" Number 48 questioned. "That's surprising."

"Yeah, it makes me sick to think that there's more than one idiot in the world who came up with the brilliant idea of bonding a disembodied soul to a suit of armor," Edward remarked.

"Hmm, perhaps I should introduce myself again," the armor stated. "48 was the number I was assigned when I was on death row, but back when I still had a living body I was known as Slicer. I was a mass murder, you see."

"So you were slated for execution," Edward thought over. "Tell me something then, this laboratory, are they using condemned prisoners like you to make Philosopher's Stones here?"

"That I can't tell you, it isn't my area. They simply recognize my skills, gave me this body, and made me their trusty guard dog."

"Interesting," Alyson commented before she remembered something. "I'm sure they gave you a seal too, to serve as a medium between soul and armor."

"Yes, I have a blood seal," Number 48 replied. He lifted his face plate, exposing the seal. "This is it, right here. If you destroy this, this fight is yours."

"That's awfully considerate of you to show us your weak spot," Ed noted.

"I like to give myself a little extra challenge during a fight now and then."

"As long as you're in such a giving mood, then how about this," Aly suggested. "Why not just let us go?"

"Nice try kid, but what kind of mass murder lets his prey get away so easily? Now let's fight," the armor said as it tightened its grip on the sword. Edward and Alyson had no choice, but to stand their ground. Even amidst the tension, Alyson scolded herself for wearing attire that wouldn't help much in a fight; a black and blue striped shirt with a gray vest, a dark blue skirt with black leggings and ankle boots. What she was thankful for was her thought to put her hair up like Hawkeye's, but she made a note to herself to not look so delicate. She just hoped 48 didn't measure strength by looks because this fight was not going to be easy.

* * *

_**In Central Command**_

"Did you hear what I said? My dear little Elisia is about to turn three!" Hughes fawned as he spoke on the phone.

…

_**In Eastern Command**_

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes," Mustang stated, annoyed beyond belief. "Do you think this could wait? I'm at work."

'_Oh what a coincidence, I'm at work too! She's the cutest little thing, you should see her!'_

…

'_I'm sure she's adorable, but stop calling me to gush over your daughter,' Mustang scolded. 'And on a military line too!'_

"Not just my daughter, Colonel," Hughes replied as held a picture of Elisia, only to reveal another of Gracia. "I'll gush over my wife too!" The line went silent after Hughes heard an annoyed groan. "I know, I know, it's your turn now. Go ahead Colonel, I know your dying to gush over your very own scar-faced Ishvalan."

…

"We found many bodies on the site where he vanished, but all of them were so decomposed that it's been difficult to identify them," Mustang stated. "He hasn't been sighted anywhere in the East so at the present many people here think it's likely that he's dead."

'_If that's the case, I should be able to lift the bodyguard from the T:5s soon.'_

"Is Major Armstrong still in charge of the kid's protective detail?" Mustang asked.

…

"He was, but a couple of his men have taken over now."

At the same time Hughes gave this remark, Second Lieutenant Ross and Sergeant Brosh found out that the T:5s had escaped. "I thought it was suspiciously quiet in here," she said as she spotted the ladder out the window. "We've been played."

"Major Armstrong is gonna take off his shirt again and yell at us some more, isn't he?" Brosh cried out.

"Those brats are going to pay. Do they even think about how this makes us look?," Ross stated as she gripped the ladder and tossed it aside. "Let's go Sergeant."

"Go? Go where?"

"Where else do you think, Brosh? To the Fifth Laboratory."

* * *

Edward, Alyson, and Number 48 were still engaged in battle. The armor would focus his attacks in a way that both alchemists would be hit, but they seemed to either block or step away. In one case, the armor directed its hit towards Alyson, but something wasn't right. She managed to block the attack, but her body started to feel heavy and her vision blurred. _'Damn, why now? I can't pass out now, that would guarantee my death,'_ she thought. She saw Number 48 charge at her, giving her barely enough time to duck and jump back.

Edward started to notice Alyson's exhaustion and knew what was going on. The aftereffects of the transmutation were acting up from over-exertion and the three sleepless nights weren't much help. _'I've got to find a way to end this quickly,'_ he thought. "Or else we're dead," and with that Ed ran towards Number 48, blocking and doing flips to avoid hits. Everything was okay, until 48 got the upper hand and kicked Edward to the floor. If he hadn't flipped back at the last moment, he would've gotten a sword embedded into his chest. He did another back flip, but this time he wasn't so lucky, receiving a gash on his left should. Ed tried moving back, only to find a pillar in his way. 48 took the opportunity and swung his sword for Ed's head, who managed to jump to the side. It didn't take long for the sword to reappear in front of his face, barely blocking it as he fell back with a gash above his right eye.

"What a cute little monkey," Number 48 commented.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE?!" an infuriated Ed yelled.

"It's been too long since I've had prey that was worth hunting," 48 added. "You two won't last much longer. Right about now my companion should be finishing off the partners you left behind."

"Is this companion of yours strong?" Edward casually asked.

"Yes he is, he isn't as strong as I am though."

The answer brought a genuine laugh from Edwards as he stood up, walking over to Alyson to give her a hand up. It seemed that the episode had passed and she regained some energy. "In that case, we don't need to worry," Edward stated with a grin on his face. "You see, we've been sparring partners long time and I've still never beaten them."

* * *

"AHHHHH!" Number 66 screamed as he was pushed back by Brandon's kick. "Damn it, why can't you sit still for a second and let me cut you up, you filthy brats." He ran towards the group of three once more, but Katy landed a punch on his face, removing the helmet. When the figure turned around, they saw that the armor was empty. "There's a bit of a story behind that," he said as he noticed the surprised expressions on the Piers' faces. "Would you like to hear, it's a pretty good one. You probably already know it though. It all starts with a man by the name of Barry. Once upon a time, right here in Central, there was a butcher named Barry who loved his work. His favorite part was cutting up the meat into little, tiny pieces. But one day, Barry found that cutting up beef and pork wasn't enough anymore. So he took to the streets and began cutting up people instead, night after night. In time, of course, Barry was caught but not before twenty three victims had fallen prey to him and his knife. Naturally, after terrorizing Central for so long Barry was sent to the gallows for his twisted deeds and the world was happily rid of yet another evil man. At least, that's what everyone out there believes, but our story isn't over yet; we haven't even reached the good part. Barry isn't actually dead you see, he's very much alive, in charge of guarding a certain place only without his body." The teens just looked at him, still in their defensive positions as they waited for his long winded tale to end. "That's right; he's standing in front of your very eyes. I am the infamous serial killer, Barry the Chopper!"

"Sorry, but we've never heard of you," Alphonse kindly replied. "We're from a little town in the East so "

"Fine! But even if you don't know who I am shouldn't you at least be a little scared?" Barry retorted. "Shouldn't you be going "AHH!" or "What happened to your body?" or something?" As he posed scenarios, Brandon and Katy removed Alphonse's head, exposing his hollow interior. "AHHHH! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR BODY, FREAK?!"

"Hey, now that's impolite," Alphonse added.

"Oh, I see, you were on death row too," Barry inquired. "You had me startled there."

"Hey, I'm not a criminal!"

"Huh, then what happened to you?"

"It's kind of a long story," Al replied as Katy fixed his head back in place. "When I lost my body, my brother transmuted my soul and bonded it to this armor."

"Your brother?" Barry questioned, breaking out into laughter seconds later. "Of course, your brother."

"What's so funny about it?" Brandon asked harshly.

"Are you sure you and your brother are actually related?" Barry asked Alphonse.

"Well, I guess we don't look that much alike anymore."

"No, no, no, that's not what I mean," Barry added. "Are you sure that you're not a puppet, created and controlled by your so called brother? Were you ever a real person to begin with?"

"How can you ask something like that?" Al yelled. "I was a real boy and my name was Alphonse Elric."

"How can you be so sure about that?" Barry pressed on.

"I have memories, I remember who I was before," Alphonse answered.

"And who's to say those memories aren't made up?"

"But Aly and Aunty, they know me," Al added. "Even Katy and Brandon."

"That's easy; they're in on it too."

"STOP!" Katy shouted. "DON'T LISTEN TO HIM ALPHONSE! HE'S LYING TO YOU!"

"Please Al, you've got to believe us," Brandon added.

"Silly boy, you were never alive to begin with," Barry continued. "It's as simple as that."

"Then how do you know you were really alive?" Al asked.

"I was, trust me."

"This area's off limits don't move," the soldier standing guard started before Barry threw his knife at his head. "There, did you see that? There's nothing I love more than chopping up live people! I can't control myself! I kill, therefore I am. As long as I know that, it's all I need to prove to myself that I've always been me."

* * *

"Your partners are that good, are they?" Number 48 asked. "Then I'll have to hurry up and defeat you two so I can get around to taking care of him."

Alyson directed her eyes to the side, not before glancing over at Edward. Her shifting eyes created suspicion in Number 48. "Go Katy, do it now!" Alyson ordered, causing 48 to turn with his sword to block the assumed attack. Alyson charged towards the armor, catching it off guard and allowing her to cut the head off.

"That was dirty," the armor head remarked.

"There's no such thing as dirty in a fight," Alyson exclaimed as she landed on her feet, hearing the thud of the armor.

"What's the matter? You still haven't destroyed the blood seal I so kindly pointed out," the dismembered armor head stated. "You going to or not?"

"There's something I need to ask you about," Alyson said as she picked up the head.

"The Philosopher's Stone?"

"Yes, tell us everything you know about it."

"Sorry, can't.

"Hey now, tell me," Alyson pressed on. "We did beat you at your own game."

"That's where you're wrong, I'm not beaten yet."

"Aly, look out! Behind you!" Edward warned.

When Alyson turned around she was met with the armor body wielding a sword. She jumped forward, but not fast enough to avoid the blade's contract with her right side. "Impossible," she said as she clutched her side to stop the bleeding.

"I forgot to mention something about this mass murderer, Slicer," 48 stated.

"His crimes were really done by a pair of brothers," the armor finished.

"An independent head and body, that's a dirty trick," Edward exclaimed as he rushed toward Alyson.

"Now, now, wasn't it the girl that just said there's no such thing as dirty in a fight?" 48 joked. "Are you ready? Round two is about to begin, short stuff," the armor added.

"Don't call me short!" Edward exclaimed, assuming his position to transmute.

"Oh no, I'm not giving either one of you a chance to transmute," the armor body stated, charging and swinging his sword at Ed.

'_Damn, I've lost too much blood and Alyson's losing blood at a fast rate,' Ed thought. 'I'm starting to feel dizzy and I can tell Alyson is too._" Being so deep in thought allowed the armor body to gain an advantage on him. When he was about to attack, Alyson pushed Edward out of the way, taking the blows herself. The two alchemists rammed into a pillar in agonizing pain. _'Not good, not good. Here he comes. We're going to die…we're going to die!'_ Then Ed remembered his encounter with Scar. As the blade was approaching the two alchemists, Edward clapped his hands and lunged forward to the armor. He slammed his hand on the armor's chest and transmuted it to pieces while Edward fell to his knees, panting. "You reminded me of someone I don't like and now I've done exactly what he did."

"How could you, you damn brat!" the top half of the armor body shouted.

"He's wiggling, that's freaky!" Edward yelled.

"As much as I hate to admit it, we've lost," Number 48's head added.

Kicking the armor boy's foot, Edward just had to ask. "So you're not gonna tell me that you're really three brothers, are you?"

"No, no. Come on boy, you two won," the head stated. "Hurry up and destroy us."

"No, we're not murderers," Alyson replied, coming to a more aware state of mind.

"With bodies like these are we really even people?"

Alyson looked over to Edward, only seeing the raw emotion his eyes held. "I consider you people whether you have physical bodies or not. If I didn't, that would mean I didn't believe my own brother is a person either."

…

"Come on, what's the matter little puppet?" Barry teased as Alphonse blocked another of his attacks.

"I told you, I'm not a puppet!"

"You keep telling yourself that, but how can you know for sure? How can you be certain you were really alive?" Barry asked. "There is one way you can prove that you're not just a puppet made from scraps of armor. You've got a blood seal too, right? Destroy it, go ahead, break it yourself. If you die, you were a real boy all along just like you want to believe."

"No, there's no way I could ever do that," Alphonse answered.

"Oh no, then I guess I'll have to do it for you, won't I?"

…

"I know that my brother is a human being, that means you guys are human too," Edward continued. "We will not take the life of another person."

"My brother and I have been lying, stealing, cheating, and killing together for as long as we can remember. And now that we're in these pseudo bodies, we're being treated like humans for the first time," 48's head stated. "Don't you see the irony? For that boy, I'll give you a parting gift; I'll tell you everything. I'll tell you who made the Philosopher's Stone and ordered us to guard this place." Out of nowhere, five razor sharp blades pierced through Number 48's head.

"My, that was a close call," a woman said. The blades, or fingers, were retracting, bringing them back to their owner. "Number 48, you should know better than to talk about things that don't concern you.

"Well, well, well, would you look at that? What're the Fullmetal pipsqueak and the Soul girly doing here?" the palm tree like figure asked.

"Such a troublesome pair, how did you find out about this place?" the woman asked as she broke 48's head in half.

"Brother! Brother!" A sword started to scratch off the blood seal on the armor body.

"Quit your pathetic blubbering, you idiot! You were trying to kill two of our most important sacrifices," the palm tree figure growled as he stabbed the seal. "Do you understand me? You could have messed up the entire plan! What would we have done then, huh?"

The two alchemists watched as the figure approached them, sword in hand. Alyson struggled in her battle to stay conscious, but the blood loss was making the predicament difficult. Edward was going through the same thing, but he glared at the approaching figure. The woman walked towards the two alchemists as they used the pillar behind them to stand.

"Tell us who you people are?" Alyson asked. "What plan are you talking about? What do you mean when you say important sacrifices?"

"Oh my, the girly's ready to go. I think I made it angry," the palm tree figure said mockingly.

"Don't call me girly again," Alyson replied as she looked the figure in the eye.

"And what exactly would you prefer, huh girly?" With that, Alyson kicked the figure away from her, putting distance between the two, "Whoa now, there's no need fight here. Someone might get hurt, you know."

Edward and Alyson clapped their hands, preparing for a transmutation. "This is a fight that you started, so come on," Alyson shouted. She started to feel dizzy again and fell to the floor, unconscious.

"Lucky me," the figure stated as he walked up to a dumbfounded Edward and kneed him in the stomach. "You're fortunate the girl passed out. If not for that you wouldn't be getting off so easy."

"Listen to me well boy, don't ever forget this," the woman started. "Always remember we allowed you both to live." She kept her focus on the teens as she addressed her partner. "We can't have them poking around this place again, it's too dangerous. It'll have to go, blow it up."

* * *

'_You know Al, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for awhile, but I guess I've been too afraid to say it.'_

'_What was Ed about to tell me? He said he'd been too afraid to say it before, what could've frightened him that much?' Alphonse thought._

'_Are you sure that you're not a puppet, created and controlled by your so called brother? Were you ever a real person to begin with?'_

"What's the matter little boy? You got something on your mind?" Barry asked as he charged towards Alphonse.

"SHUT UP! YOU'RE WRONG!" Katy yelled. "Al, don't believe him."

"Just accept it, you'll feel better," Barry said as he punched Al in the chest. "You're mine now, little puppet!"

_**BANG!**_

"Stay right there," Ross order after having shot the knife out of Barry's hand. "Or the next one puts a hole in your head."

"This isn't going quite as I planned," Barry added.

Then, the ground started to shake as the laboratory began to collapse at an alarming rate. "Come on, get away from there," Ross ordered.

"But Alyson and Edward are still inside the building," Brandon replied.

"Hmm, I know what this means," Barry interrupted. "Time to get out of here, I'd better get going if I were you."

"Brother! Brother!"

"Take cover Al or you'll get caught in it too," Ross advised. All of a sudden smoke surrounded them and a figure rose from the debris. The figure carried Alyson in his arms and maintained Edward's body on his shoulder.

"There you are, I brought two little presents for you," he said as he set the two alchemists on the grass. "Their lives aren't in danger but they have lost a lot of blood so you might want to get them to a hospital as soon as you can. Also, you really should keep a better eye on them, stopping them from taking these crazy risks. They're both precious resources."

"But who are you?" Ross asked as she got a hold of Alyson.

"Lieutenant Ross, we need to go!" Brosh reported.

"Sergeant, help me with him," Ross ordered.

"What happened to them?"

"We'll talk later," she answered. "And you should go too…what? He's gone."

The laboratory collapsed to the ground just as the team managed to get out. Ross carried Alyson while Brosh carried Edward with the three other teens quickly behind them. Next door in Central Prison, the prisoners acted up from the noise outside, but one resident took a different approach to the situation.

"What a lovely sound. I know it well, that's the sound of a building exploding. Close as it is, I'd say it's coming from next door, the Fifth Laboratory." Another explosion rang off in the distance, vibrating through the walls. "It's such a comforting sound, the way it reverberates through your entire body!"

"You keep it down in there, Kimblee," the guard ordered.

"Oh, do excuse me," Kimblee remarked. "I was just recalling the Ishvalan War of Extermination and it put me in such a good mood.

As they escaped from the collapsing laboratory, Al couldn't shake the feeling of what Barry had said:

'_Are you sure that you're not a puppet, created and controlled by your so called brother?'_

He had to know, was all his life a created lie?


	9. Created Feelings

**AN: Hello my dear readers, I'm back but with only one chapter this week. I have a good explanation though; my mom was going through some medical stuff so I had to help my dad around the house. Also, I've been having some sleeping problems this week so I haven't been feeling my best. But bear with me, I will try to get a two chapter update to you all next week. I'd like to say thanks to Vertan Yamamoto for favoriting and following this story, makes me happy when I get this kinds of notifications! Anyway, enjoy reading the ninth chapter of Tangled Souls!**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Created Feelings**

"Looks like you can sit up now, huh?" Ross remarked to a very bandaged up Edward who rested up in his hospital bed.

"What happened with the Fifth Laboratory?" Ed asked

"Well…it…um…"

"Somebody blew up the building and there's nothing left of it now but rubble," Ross bluntly answered, cutting off the tongue tied Sergeant.

"DAMN IT! YOU MEAN THEY WIPED OUT EVERYTHING?!" Ed screamed only to be taken back by the pain of his injuries. "That didn't feel good," he muttered, holding his abdomen as tears threatened to spill over. "This isn't fair! Do you know how close Aly and I were from finding out the truth? This is no time for me to be lying around in a hospital."

The two officers looked at each other, nodding in agreement before turning to look at the young man. "Fullmetal Alchemist, sir!" The formality caused Ed to look at them strangely. "We do apologize in advance for this!"

"Huh?" Ross then slapped Edward across the face, the sound of impact making Brosh flinch and leaving Edward in a daze. "You acted like a selfish child," Ross harshly remarked. "You only escaped with your life because you were lucky. You don't have to do everything all on your own, you know. You can lean on other people…like us. Not all adults are the enemy, you can trust us." Edward looked down at his bed sheets, his hair covering his eyes as he stayed silent.

"That's all, please forgive our abusive words and conduct, sir!" the officers formally addressed. "It will not happen again!"

"No, you're right. I should be apologizing," Edward replied.

"My punishment…for slapping you?"

"Nothing, I had it coming," Edward answered, allowing a sense of relief to fall over the officers. "What's go you two so scared of me?"

"State certified alchemists carry a military rank that equivalent to a Major," Ross replied as Brosh nervously nodded.

"Don't worry about it," Edward stated. "We didn't get our certification so people would kiss up to us. You don't have to talk to me like I'm a high ranking officer."

"Really?" Ross asked.

"I guess we were scared of the brat for nothing," Brosh added.

'_They adjust quickly'_ Edward angrily thought. "So where are Aly and the others? I haven't seen them."

"They each got their own lecture earlier, except I was that one who did Al's slapping," Brosh replied as he lifted up his red hand, getting a laugh out of Edward. "Alyson was the only one who got off without it. She's pretty injured on her side; the cut inflicted on her was deep. The doctor checked her over for any broken ribs or any internal damage but it seems nothing's that bad. The blood loss did catch up to her though, so she's resting in her own room. The others should be there with her."

"Oh well, that's good," Ed commented. His clam face became one of fear, his center strand of hair sticking up into the air. "I almost forgot, I have an even less pleasant lecture in store for me today. This is the thanks I get for being overprotective of her."

"She your girlfriend?" Brosh innocently asked as he brought a wheelchair near Ed's bed.

"MY GIRLFRIEND?! NO WAY!"

…

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, when I was your age I had a different girlfriend every week," Brosh teased as he pushed Edward along to Alyson's room. The injured alchemist wasn't taking Brosh's teasing lightly, scowling all the way over.

Edward noticed Alphonse in a different hallway to his left. "What are you doing sitting in the dark all by yourself?" He received no reply from his brother, the younger Elric remaining motionless as well. "Hey Al!"

"Brother."

"You know you can come to the room, right?" Edward added. "I thought you were with Aly and the others."

Alphonse stared at his "brother" before actually replying. "I'll be there in a little while, you go on ahead."

"Okay."

Once he saw his brother go, Alphonse sat in silence as he recalled Barry's words: _'Are you sure that you're not a puppet, created and controlled by your so called brother?' _He clenched his fists in anger at his utter confusion, what was the truth Edward was hiding?

* * *

When Edward entered Alyson's room he noticed Katy and Brandon leaning against the wall, opposite the bed. He looked over at a bed-ridden Alyson, who sure enough was bandaged under her medical attire. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, a little apprehensive as he waited for the girl to snap. "You're gonna give me a mouthful about his aren't you?"

Alyson notice Edward's bandaged injuries, his left shoulder and the one above his right eye. "No, it's because of me that you're heavily injured. I'm sorry; if I hadn't been so weak we probably could've come out of this in a much better form."

All eyes were on Ed, the officers and the Piers siblings stared at him. Their eyes were all saying, "You're going to let her take the blame. SAY SOMETHING!"

"It's not your fault," Edward nervously replied. "You can't blame yourself for this. I was the one being reckless; you've got nothing to feel sorry for. It's all my fault since it was my decision." He kept up his chipper tone in order to cheer up the girl. "Besides, if you hadn't fainted when you did, I would've kept fighting and then I would've been hurt even worse. So don't worry about it."

Alyson couldn't help but have a laugh at her friend's current state. "I guess it can't be helped." She noticed that Sergeant Brosh had set aside a tray that contained what used to be Ed's lunch, but one thing bothered her in particular. "You didn't drink your milk."

"Why should I?" Edward growled. "I hate it."

"You're going to be small and stunted forever if you keep using that stupid excuse!" Alyson complained.

"SHUT UP! I DON'T HAVE TO DRINK IT IF I DON'T WANNA!"

"You sound like a spoiled little brat Edward Elric," the newly present Major Armstrong commented.

"A growing boy needs his milk," Ross added.

"Yeah, you want the girls to like you, don't you?" Brosh teased.

The door closed, bringing the Great Milk Dispute to a stop as Alyson pulled Edward's cheek. "Was that Al?" Brandon asked.

…

Edward, Alyson, Katy, and Brandon were left alone in Aly's room to catch up. Alyson had struggled to sit up on her bed while Edward's wheelchair was brought closer to the bed. Katy and Brandon remained against the wall as the two oldest teens talked.

"I don't get it, Al's been acting really weird lately," Edward remarked.

"Weird how?" Alyson asked.

"Just seems like something's been bothering him."

Katy and Brandon looked at each other, knowing what was wrong with Alphonse. They didn't know how to tell them what was going on nor did they feel it was their place to.

…

Back in the hallway, Alphonse was standing in front of a mirror as Barry's words still haunted him. He wanted to know the truth, what his brother feared to say.

…

"Yo, Ed my boy! Is it true you snuck into pretty, young Alyson's room? I didn't know you two had something going on!" Hughes exclaimed as he barged into the room. The subject matter was enough to make Edward fall out of his wheelchair, threatening to reopen wounds.

"She's just my friend, automail mechanic, and co-worker," Edward rapidly protested. "Nothing more!"

"Oh I see, so you've seduced your best friend, have you?" Hughes asked.

"THAT ISN'T WHAT I SAID AT ALL! WERE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!"

"Nice to see you Hughes, but don't you have work to do?" Alyson asked, attempting to save Edward from his embarrassment.

"Nope, it's all under control," he replied with a smile. "I gave Sheska some overtime."

"You're a real jerk, aren't you?" Edward remarked.

"Yeah and I think you'll be happy to know, I just found out you and the others shouldn't need to be kept under guard for too much longer," Hughes added.

"Great!"

"So how long are they keeping you in here for?" Hughes asked.

"I don't know. The doctor said about two to three days more and we're good to go," Alyson replied. "But knowing Edward's impatience we'll probably be leaving sooner than what's recommended."

"I see, well Katy and Brandon, do you need a place to stay tonight?" Hughes asked.

"Yeah but "

"Then it's settled, you two are coming with me. Well goodbye you two!" Howards said as he grabbed the Piers siblings by the collar, leaving Alyson and Edward dumbfounded.

"Do you really need to drag us?" both siblings said.

* * *

"Happy birthday Elisia!" was heard throughout the Hughes residence.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking Mr. Hughes," Brandon started politely. "What is this all about?"

"I'm so glad you asked that, Brandon. Today's my darling little Elisia's birthday!" the over enthusiastic response brought upon annoyed faces on the siblings.

"That's exciting, how old are you now, Elisia?" Katy asked as she got down to the little girl's eye level.

"I'm two…no I'm three," Elisia answered, holding up her fingers to represent her age.

"How adorable," Katy commented, smiling at the little girl.

…

"We've know the Elric's and the Evan's for as long as we can remember," Katy said, readjusting Elisia who sat on her lap.

"We grew up together," Brandon added. "To me the Elric's are like older brothers and Aly's like my oldest sister."

"And I'm sure, knowing you all, you guys are always in some kind of trouble," Hughes added.

"That's an understatement, those three are always getting themselves hurt. Something's bothering Al too and we know what it is," Katy replied. "We don't know how to say it so we thought it best to keep our mouths shut."

"Maybe nothing needed to be said," Hughes noted. "You both know them, it's possible you know they'll understand what's happening whether you say something or not."

"Maybe, but there are something's that are needed to be told," Brandon added.

"Just what am I going to do with you all?" Hughes remarked with a chuckle. "Men and women differ in how we discuss things. Men prefer to let their actions speak instead of words while women prefer to lay all the cards on the table. When one of you is in pain, you don't want to burden the others if you can help it. You don't want anyone to worry about you, that's how you are. Even so, there will come a time when one of you will ask the other for help and when you do, you'll all be there to help. Isn't that enough?"

"Elisia, we wanna play," one of the little boys invited said. "Let's go."

"Big sister, can you put me down now?"

"Okay, down you go," Katy said, putting Elisia on the floor. The siblings noticed how the group of boys fought for Elisia's attention. "She's quite the heartbreaker already, isn't she?" Katy added, giggling at the kids' jealous behavior. This didn't rub off well with Hughes who took out his pistol and looked menacingly at the boys.

"Listen up boys, you try anything with my daughter and you will answer to me."

"Your actions speak too loudly!" Brandon exclaimed.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

**The Next Day**

"Are you sure you both have to go? You're more than welcome to stay with us for as long as you'd like," Gracia stated as the Piers siblings stood out in the complex hallway.

"We don't want to put you out more than we have already," Katy replied, feeling a tug on her jacket.

"Elisia's gotten very attached to you," Gracia added.

"Well, would you look at that," Hughes remarked. "You three could be siblings."

"Sissy, you and little brother be safe, okay? Come back and visit me real soon!" Elisia exclaimed.

"It's settled, you both are staying with us again tonight," Gracia remarked.

The two siblings smiled as the kneeled down next to Elisia, pulling her into a hug. "It looks like we found ourselves a little sister."

* * *

"So we meet again, you little bastard," Edward growled as he glared down his milk. "I'm not gonna drink you."

"Brother, you have a living body that needs nourishment," Al said from his spot against the wall. "You have to drink it."

"I don't have to if I don't want to," Edward replied, taking a bite out of bread. "I may not look like it, but I have grown some but everyone still calls me a pipsqueak. I wish I was like you, Al. You've got such a big body now."

"IT'S NOT LIKE I ASKED FOR THIS BODY BROTHER!" Alphonse shouted as he got up from his seat. Alyson, Katy and Brandon had entered the room, surprised to hear Al's remark.

"Sorry, you're right," Edward guiltily replied. "It's my fault that it happened, but I'll make it right. I'll get you back into your real body, you'll see Al."

"THAT'S WHAT YOU ALWAYS SAY BUT YOU DON'T KNOW THAT FOR SURE!" Alphonse continued.

"But look, I promise I'm gonna get you back," Edward pressed on. "Believe me Al, I'll do it."

"BELIEVE YOU? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE ANYTHING WHEN I'M STUCK IN THIS BODY?" Alphonse asked. "What should I believe in, my memories? Memories are just scrapes of information that could be made up as easily as anything else."

"Al, what are you talking about?"

"Do you remember when you said there was something you were afraid to tell me?" Al replied. "I think…I think I might know what it was. Maybe you wanted to say that my soul and my memories are really artificial constructions you created." Edward's eyes widened as he heard Al's fearful words. "You, Aly, Katy, Brandon, and Aunty…you've been lying to me all along, haven't you? What do you have to say for yourself, Brother?"

Edward slammed his fists against the table where his lunch was placed. "Is that what you really think?" he asked in a dangerously low voice. "Have you believed that all this time?" He clenched his fists even tighter, his body shaking as he refused to look at Al or any other person. "So are you finished or is there more you wanted to say?" Silence was the only answer he received, making him lift his head up with a small disappointed smile. "Okay." He moved the table out of the way and walked towards the door.

"Don't go," Alyson said as he walked past her and into the hallway. "Ed!" He walked back into Edward's room after being ignored. "Al, you…MORON!" She continued to hit Alphonse against his head with her own fist, already accustomed to the pain while making everyone else jump.

"Aly where did that come from?" Katy asked. She could only see Aly's profile but it was enough for her to see that she was crying.

"Aly…"

"YOU IDIOT!" she yelled again before taking another hit at Alphonse. "You have no idea how Ed feels! Do you know what he was so afraid to talk to you about? He wants to know if you blame him for what happened to your body, Al!"

* * *

"_It's all my fault," an eleven year old Edward whimpered under the daze of his fever. "Al lost his body and it's all my fault. He can't eat anymore, he can't sleep, he can't feel cold or warmth. He's my little brother and I'm supposed to protect him and I did this. How could he ever forgive me?"_

"_Al isn't the type of boy who would resent you for this," Mrs. Evans said. "Just ask him, I'm sure you'll see."_

"_No, I'm too afraid," Edward replied as tears streamed down his cheeks. "I'm too scared of what he'll say."_

* * *

"And then, you idiot," Alyson said as she sank to her knees in front of Al. "He said that. Who would ever do something like that? Who would be prepared to risk his own life to create a fake brother? Don't you get it, all the two of you have left…is each other." Alyson stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Now, go get your brother." Alphonse got up slowly from the floor at her command. "Start running!"

"Right."

"You better listen, Al. It's what's best," Katy shouted down the hall.

…

On the roof, Edward was looking at the scenery as he leaned against the railing. Alphonse was in the doorway of the stairs, hesitating on how exactly he should start. "Brother "

"You know something Al, we haven't had a good fight in awhile. I'm starting to get flabby." Edward kicked off his slippers before running towards his brother, swinging his right foot at Alphonse.

"Hold on, Brother! Stop!" Edward wasn't listening as he kept throwing punches at his brother. "Your wounds haven't healed enough for this."

Edward grabbed a bed sheet that was hanging on a nearby clothesline, throwing it over Alphonse. Once Al couldn't see anything, Edward kicked him to the ground. "I beat you, first time I ever won." He moved across Al and laid down on the ground and looked up to the sky.

"It wasn't a fair fight, Brother."

"Don't give me that, a win is a win and you know it Al," Edward replied. "We've always fought like this, ever since we were really little. Now that I think about it, we fought over some really stupid things, haven't we?"

"Definitely, like who would get the top and bottom bunks."

"Yeah.

"We fought over candy a lot too, huh?"

"And that toy," Ed added with a chuckle. "Do you remember?"

"I won that one," Alphonse proudly replied. "And when we played in the rain by the river."

"Yeah, you shoved me into the water," Edward said with a laugh.

"And that fight we had during our training."

"Teacher said we were being too loud and then she beat us up herself. Why don't we call that one a draw?"

"We even fought over which one of us would marry Alyson and Katy someday."

"What? I don't remember that one."

"I won the fight, but Alyson shot me down," Alphonse replied. "Katy gave me a maybe."

"Oh, did she?" Edward asked, pretending he had no interest in the first part of Al's answer. "Well, you should take Katy's answer as a yes. I've always figured you'd make her my sister in law someday in the future." The brothers looked up at the sky in silence before Edward opened up. "You telling me that all those memories are lies?"

"Sorry."

"And your determination to be whole again, to get your body back no matter what, it's a lie too?"

"No, it's not a lie."

"That's right, we're in this together all the way. Don't forget that," Edward replied. "We're gonna push forward; we'll make ourselves stronger, faster, and better until we get our bodies back."

"And the milk?" Alphonse teased.

"Milk? Fine, I'll drink a little," Edward grumbled. "Whatever it takes brother." He extended his fist to be met by Alphonse's.

Meanwhile, the other three teens were watching the brothers reconcile. "Aly, sometimes things don't have to be said to understand what someone's trying to say, but it sure is nice to hear it," Katy said as she smiled at the scene before her.

A smile came across Alyson's face too as she threw her arm over Katy's shoulder. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

* * *

"Hey, he's awake," a little boy said.

"Where am I?" Scar asked.

"In a slum outside of East City," an elderly man replied. "You're among friends now."

"Who are you?" Scar asked. "You old man?"

"Me, well I'm a man of Ishvalla just like you son," the man answered. "There's nothing to worry about here, I won't sell out one of my own."

"Are we the only one's here or are there other Ishvalan survivors?"

"Yes, indeed there are. A rundown slum such as this may not represent our ancestral home, but you know what they say, "The world is God's bosom", our great, loving god Ishvalla, am I right?"

"Yes, you certainly are," Scar replied as he tried pushing himself up from the cot.

"You can't, you're not ready," the boy stated. "We found you floating in the sewers, you were hurt bad."

"Boy, my right arm, did I lose it or is it still with me?"

"Yeah, it's still there Mister. It should be fine," the boy innocently answered as he glanced over Scar's arm. "Your tattoo, it's really amazing."

"Yes, it's important to me. A precious gift from my family."

* * *

**As always, please review, favorite, or follow this story! It means the world to me when I see those notifications in my inbox! Love you all and thanks for reading! See ya next week!**


	10. Separate Destinations

**Hey everybody, so I'm doing my weekly update a couple days early. I finished this chapter in a day so I've quite impressed at my ability to type 4,000 words and not lose focus. Anyway, we're almost at the end up July which brings about two bits of news. 1) I only have a month left of my summer before I start my Senior year and 2) my 17th birthday is in 2 weeks! I'm not gonna promise anything but I may or may not give you guys 2 chapters during the week of my birthday as my present to you guys. It just depends on how busy I get during the week because my mom's pressuring me to research colleges which is BORING AND A MAJOR HEADACHE! If you're no were close to start looking at information like that consider yourself lucky. Well, enough of my ranting, thanks to starrat and guest reviewer Jojo for reviewing the last chapter. These reviews mean a lot to me you guys so receiving them and reading them boosts my confidence in my ability to right this fanfic. Also, this story has gotten 469 views! That more than I could've hoped for in with the nine chapters that have been posted on this site. I hope you guys enjoy Chapter 10 of Tangled Souls, this chapter was a struggle to write because it's the one where we lose someone dear to the series. Onward and prepare yourselves with an army of tissues.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Separate Destinations**

"_The power of one man doesn't amount to much, but however little strength I'm capable of, I'll do everything humanly possible to protect the people I love. And in turn, they'll protect the ones they love, it seems like the least we tiny humans can do for each other," a younger Roy Mustang said during the final encampment of the Ishvalan War of Extermination._

"_Sounds like a pyramid scheme," Maes Hughes replied. "There's just one thing, if you hope to eventually protect everyone then you'll have to figure out a way to stand at the top of the pyramid." Hughes then pointed in the direction of an overlooking Fuhrer Bradley._

"_I can only imagine how good it must feel up there, Hughes. Although, I'll never be able to find out without the support I can get, there's no doubt about that," Mustang added._

"_You're not very subtle, you know?" Hughes noted. "You've got my support, but you could've just asked me. It ought to be fun to watch though and maybe your naïve idealism might actually do some good."_

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Colonel. Colonel?" Upon hearing his title, the Colonel opened his eyes to see his subordinate, Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, addressing him. "There is an open bunk in the barracks if you need a nap."

Mustang placed a hand on his face, running in down and then through his hair. "I'm fine. I still need to organize and pack up all of my paperwork before I transfer to Central. I haven't had much time for sleep."

"You looked like you were in the middle of a vivid dream there."

"Not really, it was just an old memory."

* * *

"Well, the last thing I remember was this guy kicking me," Edward said as he held up a poorly drawn depiction of Envy.

"It's odd that he let you and Alyson live. What about the sacrifices and these other armored souls?" Armstrong asked.

"Not to mention the Ouroboros tattoos and the transmutation circle. And Doctor Marcoh claimed that they were using the Philosopher's Stones in Ishval," Hughes added, looking over the sketches.

"Every clue we have to work with seems to lead to its own mystery," Armstrong added.

"Not much we can do about that though. Any answers we might have found are under a ton of rubble back at the lab," Hughes continued, causing an aura of depression to fall over the T:5s.

"They are talking about some seriously crazy stuff in there," Brosh said as he eavesdropped at the conversation from outside the room.

"You've hear the old cliché of how curiosity killed the cat, right?" Ross asked as she covered her ears. "Well it's true."

"Pardon me Lieutenant, I'm looking for the T:5s."

"Sure, this is " Ross started as she uncovered her ears and opened her previously closed eyes. When she saw who had addressed her, her mouth fell wide open.

Inside, the company was still addressing the current problem of the Fifth Laboratory. "I'll run a search and see if I can find some priors on anyone with an Ouroboros tattoo," Hughes said.

"Very good and while you do that I'll continue looking into the research team that was working with Doctor Marcoh in Ishval," Armstrong added.

"Sorry to interrupt," a voice called out as its owner stepped into the room, shocking everyone with his appearance.

"Fuhrer Bradley, your Excellency," Armstrong said as he and Hughes gave him the proper salute.

"Calm down, gentlemen. This is just an informal visit," Bradley replied as he approached Alyson and Edward.

"Yes sir, but may I please ask the occasion, sir?" Hughes asked.

"This young lady and this young man," Bradley answered as he looked down at the two alchemists. "Heard you both were injured, I thought a nice melon might cheer you two up," he added as he handed Edward a decorative gift basket.

"I guess," Edward replied. It was at that moment that he caught his mistake, scaring the two alchemists into yelling, "Thank you sir!"

"I understand you've been checking up on some of the senior staff. Is this true Major Armstrong?"

"Yes sir, but…ah…how did you know I was "

"You should know that nothing gets past me, Major," Bradley answered, his tone changing from a happy, friendly one to a cold, menacing tone. "And now you two, my revered Fullmetal and Sapphire Soul Alchemist, tell me what you know about the Philosopher's Stone. And I hope for your sakes, that you don't know too much." The remark caused an anticipating aura to cast over the room. The two officers were concerned for the T:5s wellbeing while the two alchemists in question were concerned for the lives of their friends, officers, and themselves. Laughing, the Fuhrer broke the nearly suffocating silence. "I'm only kidding. There's no reason for you two to be so uptight." He placed a hand on each of the two alchemists' shoulders. "I know that there's been some suspicious activity within the military lately and I believe it's necessary for something to be done about it," he added as he picked up the team's research. "A list of the research team assigned to study the Philosopher's Stone; every person listed in this document has been reported missing. They all vanished several days before the Fifth Laboratory collapsed. It seems the enemy is always one step ahead of us. Even with my vast network of informants, I have no way to determine how far our ranks have been infiltrated. The most we know about them is that they know a lot about us."

"In that case, this is proving much more dangerous than we imagined," Hughes commented.

"Major Armstrong, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, T:5s, you've all proven yourselves to be people of a trustworthy character. From this point forward, I'm giving you the direct order to forget this matter and all that it concerns. At this time, suspicion is our strongest line of offense and our only form of defense is discretion. Do not trust anyone; keep this to yourselves at all costs. However, when I deem the time is right to confront the enemy, I expect you to be prepared to join me in the effort," Bradley added.

"Sir."

"Where is he? Has Fuhrer Bradley been through here?"

"Gotta go," the Fuhrer remarked as he approached the window. "Damn bodyguard thinks he's my shadow. You see, I've snuck away to get a few minutes of privacy. Well, farewell for now," he said as he opened the window and jumped out, casually walking away.

"It feels like a tornado just passed by," Brandon remarked as he and the others were left completely confused.

"Well, can't do much about that, but I did get the tickets you requested, Ed," Katy said, holding up the train tickets.

"Oh, thanks. Just in time."

"You sure are a group on the move, aren't you?," Armstrong commented. "Your wounds haven't even healed completely and neither have Alyson's."

"Yeah, well two days of sick people and hospital food is enough for me, thanks," Edward replied.

"And where are you all heading off to this time?" Hughes asked as he walked over to Katy, peering over to look at the tickets. "What's in Dublith?"

"Well, with the way things have gone lately, Alphonse, Aly, and I decided we should go back and visit our old teacher," Edward said, bringing a shiver throughout Al's armored body.

"I think I'm too scared, Brother," Al said, placing a shaking hand on Edward's shoulder. "There's no way she's not going to kill us."

The brothers joined hands as Edward burst into tears. "Look, don't you chicken out on me, now. I'm scared too, okay?"

"What exactly does this person teach?" Brandon asked nervously.

"Don't listen to them, they're just overreacting," Alyson tiredly replied. "I went with them when we were little and I'm still alive. They just purposely know how to piss off our teacher."

"It appears you have a lengthy journey ahead of you," Armstrong remarked.

"How far is Dublith?" Katy asked.

"Well, let's see," Al said as he brought out a map of the country. "There it is, all the way down here."

Katy stared at the map, her eyes widening as she scanned over the South. "That, right there, right before Dublith…it's the holy land of automail engineering! It's Rush Valley! WE HAVE TO GO! WE HAVE TO GO! WE HAVE TO GO! YOU HAVE TO TAKE ME!"

"Whatever, we're not stopping there," Edward replied, shooting down the fourteen year old girl's excitement.

"Oh heck yes we are, Edward!" Alyson intervened. "It's on our way and besides, it'll be a good place for Katy and I to pick up knowledge."

"Only if you want to, Aly," Edward responded with a sigh, bringing a smile to Katy's face.

"Come on, let's go pack my things up," Alyson said as she tugged Katy out of Ed's room.

Placing a hand on Edward's shoulder, Hughes looked down at the young alchemist. "Aly's gonna make you a fine, young wife someday."

"DON'T START THAT AGAIN!"

"I would rather talk about my wife anyway," Hughes added with a chuckle.

* * *

"It's time for bye-bye. Daddy's got to go to work now," Hughes said.

"Daddy, come home early today," Elisia remarked as she stared at her father with wide eyes. "Okay?"

"Well, I can try, but Daddy has a bunch of important work that needs to be done. But I promise I'll do it as fast as possible," he replied before glancing over at the Piers' siblings. "Well, Katy and Brandon, I probably won't see you again before your train leaves. It's been fun but I guess this is goodbye then. Tell Aly, Ed, and Al I say goodbye and wish them well."

"Thanks Mr. Hughes. We really appreciate your hospitality," Katy said as she and her brother bowed.

"You just make sure to come visit us anytime you're all in Central. Our home is your home too. Till then, take care of yourselves. Bye hun."

"Right," Brandon answered.

"Bye bye, Daddy! Work hard!"

"You be safe out there," Mrs. Hughes called out.

Later on at the train station, the T:5s waved goodbye to all their friends, Major Armstrong, Lieutenant Ross, Sergeant Brosh, Gracia and Elisia Hughes, before venturing off to Dublith.

* * *

"So why is it suddenly so important that you guys see your teacher?" Katy asked.

"Well, there are a couple of reasons," Edward replied. "For starters, I'm a little tired of getting my ass kicked."

"Wait, is this some kind of combat teacher?" Brandon asked as his interest grew. "This might be a beneficial visit for me too."

"It's not just our fighting; our core needs a little work too. Right Aly?"

"Exactly, we feel like seeing our teacher will make us grow and make us stronger on the inside," Alyson added. "And we're gonna need as much strength as we can get."

"What's reason two?"

"To see what she can tell us about the Philosopher's Stone," Edward answered.

"And to ask her about the truth within the truth," Alphonse added. "We haven't gotten any closer to figuring it out. There's a chance that our teacher knows something about it."

"Let's hope she at least gives us a chance to ask her. You should be more worried about explaining your appearance to her, Al, considering…considering," Edward started as his motivation turned into fear. "She's gonna kill us when she finds out what happened."

"It would've been nice to at least have had a girlfriend before I died," Alphonse whined.

"Maybe you guys should get a new teacher," Katy voiced in.

"Their little overreacting is seriously starting to become a pain in the ass," Alyson muttered as she leaned against her hand on the window ledge. "I don't see how they can have so many conflicts with our teacher when I have none whatsoever."

* * *

"Riots in Liore?"

"Yes, it's apparently in response to that sham religion that was preying on the townspeople. They finally realized they were being suckered."

"Yeah, Ishval and Liore, the East has been real bad, huh?" Hughes remarked.

"I'm afraid it's not just in the East. There have been reports of uprisings in the North and West as well."

"The bodies are piling up all over," Hughes said. "The government is going to have a hard time keeping control at this rate." As he mentally pieced the information together, his eyes narrowing. "I'll be in the archive room."

…

"Liore…these endless uprisings…the Philosopher's Stone…human sacrifices and the outright genocide of the Ishvalan people," Hughes went over as he looked down at an Amestrian map. "This means…how could this even happen? And who could have orchestrated something as terrible as this? I've got to tell the Fuhrer right away." Before he could even move, he heard the door to the archive room close.

"Hello Lieutenant Colonel, it's nice to meet you," a seductive voice called out. "Well actually, hello really isn't the word I'm looking for." Hughes noticed that the woman had an Ouroboros tattoo on her chest as she extended her fingers.

"Cool tattoo you got there."

"Those are your last words? Wouldn't you rather scream?" And with that said, Lust sent her razor sharp fingers straight for Hughes' shoulder. The Lieutenant Colonel only managed to escape any further wounds by throwing a small knife at the woman's head.

He trudged his way over to the military lines, drops of his blood splattering against the clean floors. "Lieutenant Colonel, you're bleeding," the receptionist cried out.

"It's nothing, I need a private line. I have to tell him," he said as he picked up the receiver, holding it in his hand for a moment before putting it back down. "Sorry, forget I was here."

…

Outside, Hughes placed his call in a public phone both. _'Good evening, Eastern Command.'_

"I need you to connect me to Colonel Mustang right away."

'_I'm sorry,' the dispatcher replied.' I'm not allowed to connect from an outside line.'_

"You are speaking to Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. This is a matter of life and death!"

'_Can I have your code please?'_

"What? Are you trying to waste time?" he gruffly yelled as he took out a small booklet from his coat pocket. "Its Uncle, Sugar, Oliver, then eight zero zero."

'_Your code was verified. Please hold while I connect you.'_

"Will you hurry? It's an emergency!" Hughes was too preoccupied to notice someone had come up behind him until the last minute. He jumped slightly when he heard the click of a gun's barrel.

"I'm going to have to ask you to put the receiver down. Please sir. Go on, just hang it up."

Hughes turned around, eyes widening in shock as he was met with a semi-familiar face. "You look just like…but you're not. Who the hell are you lady?"

"I'm Second Lieutenant Ross, sir. You've lost too much blood."

"Drop the act already, you're not Second Lieutenant Ross," Hughes fired back. "She has a mole under her left eye."

"You're observant, I can't believe I forgot." With a change of tone in "her" voice, the person tapped the left side of her face. Red sparks radiated off as a small mole appeared under her eye. "There, how do I look now?"

"This is not happening. Please tell me I'm hallucinating or something," Hughes said as he grasped the phone's receiver in his hand.

"You really are a smart man, Lieutenant Colonel. Did you ever think that would be the cause of your death?"

"Come on, have a heart, will you? I've got a wife and daughter waiting for me, so the last thing I'm gonna do, is die on them," Hughes added as he turned around, knife in hand to attack when he was stopped.

"You look surprised," the former Ross look-a-like said, now resembling Gracia Hughes.

"What the hell are you?" was all Hughes could say before a bullet was fired.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

'_There's a Lieutenant Colonel Hughes on hold for you. He claims it's urgent.'_

"Of course he does, put him through," Mustang said as he heard a small click."Look Hughes, I don't have time for daughter stories." When he heard no response he became concerned on what was happening on the other end. "Hey Hughes. Hughes? You okay? Hughes!"

In Central, Hughes tried to reach for the phone, only to have Envy hang up the receiver. "You humans don't make any sense to me. You throw away your lives for nothing," he said as he stepped away from the bleeding officer, leaving the scene entirely.

Down by his side, a picture of Hughes and his family laid on the ground. He looked up at the night sky as his blood gathered underneath him. "Gracia, I'm so sorry. Elisia…remember daddy loves you."

* * *

"Wow, this is hands down the best apple pie ever!" Edward exclaimed as he bit down on his slice.

"Isn't it though? Mrs. Hughes is a really excellent cook," Katy said as put the half eaten pie basket down on her lap.

"To put it mildly, not to mention that quiche she made for us was also pretty delicious," Brandon added with a smile.

"Yeah, I actually wrote the quiche down on a list of things I'm gonna eat when I have a mouth again," Alphonse said, holding up a small pad.

"Well, she gave me the recipe so when you're back to normal Al, Aly and I will make it for you," Katy replied.

"Awesome, thanks!" the fourteen year old boy exclaimed.

"I had such a good time meeting the Hughes's. They're both really great people," Alyson noted.

"Yeah, but Hughes is obnoxious. He doesn't know when to shut up and he spoils his daughter rotten," Edward added.

"He did come by both of our hospital rooms a lot to talk to us."

"Every damn day," Edward agreed, swallowing the remains of his pie slice. "He always made it a point to come and keep us company. It didn't matter when; he'd even blow off work."

"We should figure out some way to thank him next time we're there," Alphonse remarked.

"Yeah, we should."

* * *

"Mommy, why are they putting all that dirt on Daddy?" Elisia asked as she clung to her mother. Hughes' funeral service was organized by the military, his family, friends, fellow officers, and even the Fuhrer himself attended.

"They're burying him dear," Gracia replied, wiping tears off her cheeks.

"But if Daddy gets buried, then he won't be able to do all of his work."

"Elisia," Mrs. Hughes said as she picked up her three year old daughter.

"Daddy said he has a bunch of work to do," she cried out, watching as several officers piled on dirt to the coffin. "No, stop it! Stop putting dirt on him! DADDY!"

…

"Promoted to Brigadier General just for dying in the line of duty," Mustang said, standing in front of Hughes' grave. "You were supposed to be helping me work my way up through the ranks. You got it all backwards, you damn crazy fool."

"Colonel," Hawkeye said as she approached him.

"Alchemists as a whole, we really are horrible creatures, aren't we? There's a side of me that's desperately trying to crack the theories of human transmutation right now," Mustang stated. "I think I understand what drove those boys to try to…bring back their mother."

"Are you alright, Colonel?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Mustang replied as he put on his military cap. "Except, it's a terrible day for rain."

"What do you mean? It's not raining," Hawkeye said, looking up at the sky then to her superior.

"Yes, it is." When the Lieutenant noticed, a tear slid down his cheek even under the shelter of the cap.

"Oh, so it is," she replied. "Why don't we head back, it's getting chilly out here."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"He said he would be in the archive room and then he just left," the soldier that was last with Hughes said. "But he had this look, like he realized something terrible," he continued as he opened the archive room door for Mustang.

"So he must have been attacked in here?" Mustang asked as he looked over the disarrayed room.

"It looks like it. He left a trail of blood; it runs all the way down the hall. Apparently he was heading straight to the phone room."

…

"He was hurt and he said he needed to call someone, but then he just walked out instead. He didn't even dial a number," the receptionist said amidst her crying.

…

'_He obviously picked up on something big. He was going to call from the office, but something occurred to him and he used an outside line. The code that he gave the operator was only supposed to be used for military emergencies. So what was it? What the hell was he trying to tell me?' Mustang thought over as he examined the phone booth where Hughes was murdered._

"Colonel, I found Major Armstrong as you asked me to," Hawkeye said.

"We have a strong lead into some potential suspects on the murder of Lieutenant Colonel Hughes," Armstrong informed.

"Then why aren't you hunting them down right now?" Mustang asked.

"We're confident that we know who committed the crime, but we're unsure of their identities."

"That doesn't make sense, Major," Mustang snapped back. "Clarify for me."

"I'm afraid I cannot."

"I'm telling you to explain as your commanding officer. You're disobeying a direct order, Major."

"I cannot tell you."

The two ranked officers stared at each other for awhile until Mustang calmed down. "Fair enough, I apologize for my tone. You're dismissed."

"Sir," Armstrong said as he walked away only to stop abruptly. "Actually sir, there is another matter I've neglected to mention. The T:5s were recently here, they only departed a couple of days ago."

"They were here in Central?"

"Yes sir, for a number of days."

"And did they manage to find whatever they were looking for?"

"No sir, it would be rather difficult as they are pursuing a legend."

"Is that so?" Mustang said with a small smirk. "Well, thanks for your help."

Once the Major was out of sight, Hawkeye turned back over to Mustang. "So I guess he wasn't as helpful to us as we had hoped."

"But not a waste of our time," he replied. "He was more helpful than he meant to be. He said that they had a strong lead, singular tense, on a few suspects. Multiple suspects, which leads me to believe they suspect a group is responsible. And his obstinate refusal to talk even though I ordered him to can only mean there's got to be an officer above me that ordered him to keep quiet; most likely someone of senior ranking. The last clue was that he happened to mention the T:5s, they were researching the Philosopher's Stone."

"I hate to say it, but it sounds like there might be some kind of conspiracy going on here. But how does it all tie together?" Hawkeye asked.

"That's the big question but Hughes; I'd say he deserves an answer. Once I'm transferred to Central, I'm going to start shaking things up until I find one."

"Doesn't sound like you to mix your public and personal concerns," Hawkeye said.

"There's no difference between the two," Mustang confidently replied. "I will become the Fuhrer of this country and I will take vengeance for Hughes. I will do these things because I have to do them. I'm going after the senior staff, are you with me Lieutenant?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

* * *

**As always, please review, favorite or follow this story! It would mean the world to me!**


	11. Miracle at Rush Valley

**Hey everybody, what's up? Sorry I'm kinda late with the update, I have been feeling crappy both physically and emotionally. Today, one of my close friends moved away so I've been moping around all day but I kicked myself to reread this chapter and make myself post this chapter. Anyway, thanks to everyone who read the last chapter and for just everyone who's even read through the story. Makes me feel great and really blessed every time the views for this story go up. I'd like to thank starrat and TayeTalfeli for reviewing the last chapter and to DarkMoon010 for following this story. Now to answer a question from TayeTalfeli: Alyson isn't scared of her Teacher because of a little thing called first impressions. If we remember correctly, the boys managed to piss Izumi off when they first met by calling her an old lady. Alyson took the smart road and just decided to be nice and not comment on her age or appearance. Let's face it, the real world fact that women hate being called out about their age came into play at that moment. Alyson just understands that mindset being a girl and all.**

**Anyway, enough of my blabbing. Here's the eleventh chapter of Tangled Souls. Enjoy! XD**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Miracle at Rush Valley**

"Rush Valley!" the two teenage girls exclaimed. "Automail! Automail! AUTOMAIL! We're so happy!"

"Look, it's the most recent Cod's model!" Alyson cried out as she stood in front of a shop window, admiring the automail arm on display.

"I never imagined I'd behold such a thing with my very own eyes," Katy chimed in, nearly brought to tears. Behind the two spazzing girls, the boys had a tiresome look on their faces. They knew this was going to be a long, LONG stop.

"Welcome to the holy land of automail," Alphonse remarked as he looked around the town. "This place is bustling."

"Yeah, remind me again why we let ourselves get dragged out into this heat to look at a bunch of automail?" a highly annoyed Edward asked. "We should've just dropped Alyson and Katy off at the station and then headed straight to Dublith."

"Hey kid, come back here a sec." The remark caused Edward to turn around, only to notice a group of overenthusiastic automail engineers surrounding him. "I've never an automail model quite like this before," the same man said as he looked over Ed's arm. "It really is unusual, everyone take a look." The men started closing in on the short alchemist, refusing to back away until they saw the unique innovation. Edward wasn't having any of it and tried to resist their efforts only for his shirt and pants to be thrown into the air.

"Don't be so rude, Ed. They just want a closer look," Alyson said once Edward managed to rid himself of the crowd and put his clothes back on.

"I COULD USE A LITTLE HELP HERE ALYSON!"

…

"Gees, this is why I steer clear of automail engineers," Edward added as he adjusted his jacket, grazing his side. He noticed that something wasn't right making him panic as he patted down his sides. "Oh no."

"Something wrong, Ed?" Alyson asked.

"It's gone."

"What did you lose?" the other four teens asked.

"Only the thing that proves I'm a state alchemist," he said, pulling his pockets inside out. "My silver watch…gone." The other four screamed as the three state alchemists checked for their own watches which were safely secured on their belt loops.

"It sounds like you've had a run in with Paninya."

"Paninya?" Edward asked.

"A pickpocket around here who likes to target tourists."

"Do you know how I can track down this Paninya girl? She took something important."

"Let's see, where is she again? I know what might jog my memory…if I could just have one more look at that automail!" At that moment of sheer frustration, Edward transmuted his automail into a deadly looking scythes blade and held it in front of the now terrified engineer. "The automail shop run by an engineer named Dominic."

* * *

"Apparently, this guy lives deep in the mountains because he can find the highest quality ore way out here. Are you absolutely sure we're going in the right direction? Because that engineer could've tricked us," Alyson exhaustedly said as she and the others trudged along under the burning sun.

"What are you complaining about?" Edward retorted. "This is all your fault for dragging us to that stupid automail town in the first place."

"MY FAULT?! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S DUMB ENOUGH TO GET HIS WATCH STOLEN!"

"OH REALLY!?"

"Um…hey you guys," Alphonse dared to interrupt.

"WHAT, AL?!"

"Could that be her?" the armored boy said, pointing a finger to a bridge a little ways away. On it stood a girl around Alyson's age with dark skin and dark brown hair to math. In her hand, a little silver watch shone under the sun's rays.

"I'VE GOT YOU NOW!" and with that Edward started transmuting staircase after staircase out of the ground to follow Paninya. He then transmuted a wall to corner the pick-pocket. "I'd like my watch back."

"That was awesome!" Paninya remarked, totally ignoring his pissed off appearance. "How'd you do that, Mister?"

"I'm an alchemist, want more?" he replied as he transmuted hands to capture the girl who kept avoiding his tactics.

"Wow! So cool!"

"Quit moving around!"

"What's the matter? Can't catch a little girl?" Paninya teased as she continued to run off.

"We've been waiting for you."

The pickpocket was faced with Alphonse and Brandon, stopping her in her tracks. When she looked beneath her feet, she saw blue lights radiate off the ground and a cage slowly appearing around her.

"Nicely done you two," Katy commented as she and Alyson ran out towards them.

"Now, why don't you hand it over," Edward said. "My watch?"

_SLASH_

In a sneak attack, Paninya sliced down the bars of the cage while exposing her automail leg. "Come on, you can't be too surprised," she said as the sun hit the large blade on her leg. "You've seen the town, haven't you? Oh and, my other leg's got a 1.5 inch cannon. What do you think about that?"

"Come back!"

"No way, why don't we see if you can catch me?"

Her attempt at another escape was cut short when Alyson got a hold of Paninya's wrist, gripping tightly between her hand. "Well now, how do you like that? That wasn't so hard."

"Nice work, Aly. Now don't let her get away," Edward added as he and the boys ran up towards them.

"No way am I letting her go," Alyson replied before her whole demeanor changed. "…not quite yet anyway, not until I've had a closer look at that automail!" And in the distance, three thuds against the ground as the boys collapsed and skidded against the earth.

"Oh, hello there Paninya," a woman in a nearby house remarked. She observed the area to notice Paninya was surrounded by a jumping pair of excited teenage girls. "Friends of yours?"

"Not really."

…

"I've never seen craftsmanship like this before," Alyson commented. "It has advanced suspension and would you look at this balance!"

"The design of this piece is truly a work of art, it's incredible!" Katy added.

"Um…do you think we could have a talk about my watch?" Edward voiced amidst the two girls fawning.

"It's no use, Brother."

"The work you've done is simply fantastic! You're a wonderful engineer," Alyson praised, her compliments going to a man with glasses.

"Oh no, don't look at me, Miss. I wasn't the one who made them."

"I am," another man around his early fifties gruffly said.

…

"This arm seems a bit heavy," the old man remarked as he took Edward's automail in his hand.

"Yes, I guess it is," Alyson embarrassedly replied.

"You ought to be careful not to strain your outfitting," the man, Dominic added. "That could be the reason why his growth is stunted."

"HEY, SHUT UP!" Edward yelled before a light went off in his head. "Wait, are you telling me that if my automail was lighter I'd grow taller than this?"

"It is a possibility."

Ed marveled at the thought, dreaming of the day that he would tower over Alphonse and Alyson. The day he would receive admiring gazes from the two instead of pity and snarky remarks.

"_Wow Brother, you're so big!"_

"_You've grown so tall."_

"_Next to me you guys sure look small," Edward would reply with a smirk._

As Edward continued with his delusional vision, the girls took to their business. "Right, that settles it," Katy said. "Mr. Dominic, we beg you, take Alyson and me as your apprentices."

"Not a chance girls," Dominic shot back, silencing the girls for awhile.

"Maybe you'd like more time to consider the idea?" Alyson added.

"No need, I don't take on apprentices."

"I understand, but maybe you could take the time out of your busy schedule to teach them how to make automail to make me taller," Edward asked in a daze, not really caring about the girls crushed hopes.

"Can it, you little flea," Dominic replied as he left the room.

"Sorry about that," the man with the glasses sympathetically replied. "My old man can be pretty stubborn."

* * *

"A little flea…a little flea…he called me a flea," Edward repeated as Alphonse dragged him down the house's hallway with Brandon walking behind them. The armored boy stopped at the sight of the woman from earlier, watching her as she rubbed her stomach as she sat back on a chair.

"Excuse me, but are you having a baby?" Alphonse asked.

"Why yes I am."

"Do you think…I mean, would it be alright if I touched your tummy?" Al asked nervously.

"Go right ahead." The lack of Al's grip on his jacket let Edward snap back to reality, watching how his little brother and Brandon touched the woman's stomach. She extended her hand to Edward, grabbing his hand and gently placed it on her stomach. They remain silent for awhile, listening to a faint heartbeat inside the pregnant woman.

"It's like there's a miracle in your stomach," Edward remarked.

"Yeah, we were inside mom's tummy like this once upon a time too," Alphonse added.

The woman's face went from one of happiness to discomfort. "Are you okay?" Brandon asked.

"Yes," the woman answered, allowing the boys a breath of relief.

…

"Whenever it pours down like this, my stumps always get achy," Paninya said as she massaged her right leg.

Alyson and Katy were sitting next to her, sipping the coffee they had gladly been given. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened?" Katy asked.

"I was in a train accident when I was a kid. It killed my parents and I wound up losing both of my legs in the wreck. I couldn't even walk anymore and I had nowhere to go. It felt like my entire world came crashing down," Paninya replied before a smile crept up on her face. "That's when I met Mr. Dominic and everything change completely."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

_The young Paninya crawled away from her tipped over wheelchair, glaring at the busy people from the safety of the alleyway. That day, Mr. Dominic had strolled through the town with his tool bag when something caught his glace. When he looked to his left, he saw the disabled girl on the ground. "You look like the most miserable, pathetic girl in the entire world. Nothing annoys me more than mopers like you." He quickly walked up to the girl, picking her up and carrying her under his right arm._

"_Let me go you mean old man, put me down!"_

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"He said I had eyes like a dead person, probably not far off; I'm sure I really did look miserable. So, without anyone ever asking my opinion I was outfitted with automail legs. The surgery and rehabilitation were painful, by far the hardest thing I've ever done. But then, soon enough I was back up on two legs again and I was so happy. All thanks to him, Mr. Dominic, I owe him everything. I'm going to pay him back somehow, even if it takes my whole life. Of course, he's never willing to take any money from me so that makes it a bit more difficult."

"That's why you're a thief?" Alyson shot back, putting her coffee down. "You're so grateful to him, you should clean up your act and stop picking pockets!" She leaned towards Paninya, grabbing the automail limbs where they made their connection to her flesh. "Mr. Dominic gave you these legs out of his selfless act of goodwill so if you really want to pay him back use that act as an example. Instead of stealing trinkets from hapless tourists, stand strong on those two legs that he made for you. Stand up and get to work."

"Mr. Dominic would respect you more for doing that than for stealing," Katy added in a calmer tone than Alyson used.

"Probably. You know what, you're right," Paninya said as she stood up. "From now on I'll work honestly to pay him back myself. So, I should probably give this thing back," she added, taking Edward's watch out from her pocket. "I think I have broken it or something, I can't get it to open."

"Let me see," Alyson said. "No, don't worry. It wasn't you, it's been sealed up using alchemy."

"Why would he do that?" Katy asked.

"I think I have a pretty good idea why," Alyson said as she transmuted the watch open. "Something's in here he's too embarrassed to let anyone see. Now let's have a little look at what Ed's hiding." When the two alchemists peered inside, they gasped at what they stared at.

"Don't forget, October 3rd, year 11," Paninya read off from the watch's cover. "A date?"

"Here, you should give this back to Ed," Alyson said as she snapped the watch closed while cover her eyes with one hand. She handed the watch over to Paninya as Katy looked over at Alyson with a glum expression.

"What is it Alyson? Katy?"

"It's nothing," Katy answered, forcing her voice to not falter.

Alyson took a deep breath and removed her hand from her eyes. "We're going to ask Mr. Dominic to apprentice us again."

* * *

Alyson knocked on Mr. Dominic's door, receiving no answer as she stood in the hallway. When she heard the rush of approaching footsteps that abruptly came to a stop behind her, she turned around to find a very out of breath Edward. "What's wrong?"

"The…the bay…the bay…the bay…" he stuttered out.

"A bay is a type of horse, what about it?"

"The…THE BABY'S COMING! THE BABY'S COMING!"

…

"In a storm like this we can't get her to the hospital in town," Dominic said as he finished buttoning his coat. "I'll fetch the doctor myself." With that, he left the house on his horse, leaving the alchemists alone with the expected child's parents.

"Pops will be right back with the doctor, just hang on a little longer for me, okay?" the woman's husband stated.

"There's no hanging on here, it'll come whenever it's ready to," the bed-ridden mother to be replied before a look fell across her face.

"What's the matter, Hun?" the husband asked as he heard his wife's whispers. "Sorry, one more time? I couldn't hear that."

"…I SAID IT'S COMING!" she yelled, throwing everyone into a frenzy.

"What do we do?" Brandon asked. "The doctor's not here."

The simple statement was enough to make everyone run amuck around the room, everyone besides Alyson who observed the situation. "We're just going to have to do it."

"Have to do what?" Edward asked.

"Deliver it," the serious fifteen year old replied, making everyone scream again.

"So…so you've seen a baby being delivered before?" the nervous husband asked.

"I might have, when I was younger but we don't have any other options here. I need everyone's help; we are going to do this." She reached for a nearby apron and tied the cords around her neck and waist. "Ed and Al, go get me some boiling water."

"Sure, right Alyson."

"Katy and Paninya, go find some towels and hurry!"

"Roger."

"Mr. Ridel, do you have any rubbing alcohol we could use for disinfectant?" Alyson asked.

"I think we have some in the storeroom."

"Brandon, go find it and bring it here. And some ice chips, we'll put them by Mrs. Satella's bedside."

…

"Are we sure your friend can handle this?" Mr. Ridel asked as her and the Elric brothers carried the needed materials.

"Alyson comes from a family of doctors," Edward replied. "She grew up reading medical textbooks rather than picture books like most kids her age. She's also grown up seeing a lot of the patients her mother has treated over."

"That's all well and good, but it isn't exactly the same as a medical degree."

"Well it's clear that she at least vaguely remembers some of it," Edward remarked.

"Some of it?"

"Right now the only choice we have is to defer to her knowledge and the sheer force of her nerve."

…

"Boiling water, disinfectant, towels, and what else was there?" Alyson said to herself as she stood in front of Mrs. Ridel's room. "Remember it now."

"Alyson." The sound of her name pulled her out of her thoughts, turning around to see Paninya and the rest of her friends. "You can do this!"

The teen girl's face went from anxious to reassured after her friend's comment. Opening the door, she called two people from over her shoulder. "Paninya and Katy, give me a hand in here."

"Sure, you got it," the two girls complied.

Once the girls entered the room and closed the door, the boys stood froze in their places. Out of the corner of his eye, Brandon noticed that Edward clenched his fist. "What's wrong?"

"Now, when it really counts…I can't do anything," Edward replied. It only took about five seconds for the boys to retreat from the door after being terrified from Mrs. Satella's screams. "I know we're not big believers in God, but maybe He could help us, this once." The boys sat against the wall, trying to block out the pained sounds coming from the nearby room as they grasped both of their hands against their chests.

…

"Brother, look," Alphonse called as he noticed the door open slightly.

"What is it?" Edward asked as he saw Paninya on her hands and knees, breathing heavily.

"All that blood," she muttered. From inside the room, the boys could've sworn they hear Katy said, "I can't do this ever again."

The three peeked into the room, finding Katy sitting on the floor with her back against the wall while Alyson sat by the end of the bed on the floor. She had her head parallel to the floor as her hands and knees offered her only support from collapsing. "What's going on?" Edward asked as he rushed to Alyson's side. "Hey." No response came to him as she tried evening out her breathing. All she did was lift her right hand and point forward, directing his attention to the smiling couple and the little bundle in the mother's arms.

"It's a baby!" Brandon exclaimed.

"Awesome, it's a real live baby!" Edward added, his appearance mirroring that of a much younger child. "Awesome. Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!"

"Really? Awesome? That's all you can think of to describe this?" Alyson asked, smiling up at her best friend.

"How else should I describe it?" Edward replied. "This is the birth of a new life. Alchemists have worked for centuries and we're still not able to do that; a person creating another person."

"You got to be kidding me," Alyson said, wanting nothing more to have the strength to slap him. "Now you're lumping in alchemy with the miracle of birth?"

"An occupational hazard, it's just the way I think," he remarked. "Besides, no matter what you say, it really is awesome. People are awesome." This brought a smile to both their faces as they watched over the happy family. "Alright, the baby's born and everything's good. So do you think there's anything else you're gonna need me for now?"

"Yeah, there is," Alyson replied as she tugged on Edward's jacket. "Do you think you could pick me up, please?"

…

Outside the room, Edward straightened out some chairs while carrying Alyson on his back. She did her best to keep her legs wrapped around his waist and let her arms drape loosely around his neck. "It's humiliating to be carried by a boy who's smaller that I am."

"I could easily drop you, you know," Edward fired back as he turned around to let Alyson sit on a chair.

"Ed."

"What is it?"

"I saw it, the engraving that's inside your pocket watch." She didn't even get another word in before Edward released his hold on Alyson, letting her fall on the ground. "Ow, that really hurt!"

"You forced it open?" he asked, his tone of voice almost dangerously low as he refused to look at Alyson.

"Yes, I transmuted it open," she honestly answered as she looked at the ground. "I'm so sorry."

Knowing he couldn't really stay mad at her, Edward took a deep breath and exhaled before turning towards Alyson. "You idiot," he uttered as he extended his right hand.

"Yeah," Alyson agreed as she accepted his hand and let him lead her back to the chairs, sitting down together.

"I haven't shown that to anybody, not even Al."

"But why not, Ed?" she asked.

"It's private, an admission to myself. I hate to admit how weak I am," he replied. "I had to give what happened that day substance and then carry it around with me as a reminder." Small streams of tears trailed down her eyes despite trying to cover them with her bangs. "Alyson, why are you doing that? What are you crying for?"

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

_The Elric house went up in flames, lighting up the clear night sky. The brothers along with their three friends stood before the house, only four of them clutching onto silver pocket watches. "Well, there's no turning back for us now, Brother," Edward muttered._

_Despite wanting to stay strong and understanding their reasons, Alyson couldn't help but release her tears. This was the home of her childhood friends. The place where they had the best times and the worst of tragedies happen. She forced herself to not sob as she watched the house burn, but the water works still kicked in._

_Hearing a small whimper from his left, Edward turned to look at Alyson, his mouth forming a thin line. "What are you crying for, Alyson?"_

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"You two won't cry, someone else should do it for you, don't you think?" she gravely responded as she wiped off the tears.

"Don't be an idiot," Edward remarked as he stood up from his chair. "You should get back to Resembool, you've been gone a long time. Aunty must be lonesome without you."

"No, don't think I don't know what you're trying to do. I'm not leaving just because you think I can't take it, end of discussion. Things happened to all of us on that day, don't you remember that? You don't have to carry the burden alone, I can carry it alongside you if you'd only let me," Alyson said, frustration tying into her words. "Seeing your resolve inspired me. I want to do more Ed, I can't just commit halfway."

"Don't do anything," he added. "You're working your ass off as is, you don't need to do more."

"Yes I do," she fiercely shot back. "I want to pone my skills so I'll be able to make you the finest quality automail prosthetics. That way we can continue our journey and you'll know you're as strong as you can be. I'm going to try again, I'll ask Mr. Dominic to make Katy and me his apprentices."

"Okay, well then good luck."

"Aly, Mr. Ridel said he wanted to talk to you for a second," Paninya said as she exited the Ridel's room. She took into account both of the friend's faces, prompting her to ask, "What's up? Is there something wrong?"

"No, don't worry, it's nothing," Alyson replied. "I'll be right there okay?"

"Paninya," Edward remarked before hitting the girl on the head.

"Ow, what'd you do that for?"

"QUIT WHINING YOU DIRTY PICK POCKET AND GIVE ME MY WATCH BACK RIGHT NOW!"

"Did you have to hit me with your right arm?"

"I COULD HIT YOU AGAIN WITH MY LEFT IF YOU PREFER!"

* * *

"Hello there, I'm your granddad!" Dominic beamed down at the baby. "What a cutie!"

"That's sure out of character," Edward uttered under his breath, gaining a death stare from the new grandfather."

"Mother and baby both look perfectly healthy. It seems like the delivery was handled expertly," the doctor said as he examined both mother and child. "Well done, sometimes even adults can't take being present at childbirth."

"Oh no, we just did what we had to, that's all," a flustered Alyson replied.

"We are truly in your debt. What you did was amazing, especially you young lady. Thank you," Mr. Dominic said as he bowed before the girl.

"Please sir, there's really no need to thank me. Oh my goodness, now you're gonna make me blush."

"Maybe you can make an exception and take on two apprentices," Edward slyly wormed in.

"One had nothing to do with the other. I don't take on apprentices and that's that," the old man shot back. "But, if that's what you're heart's set on, I can recommend you both to an accomplished engineer at the base of the mountain."

"Pardon me, would it be okay if we came to watch you work sometimes?" Katy asked, hoping she wasn't pushing her luck.

"I won't stop you from coming once in awhile…to see my grandchild. Same goes for your friend and the tomboy."

…

"Move it guys, we've got to hurry!" Brandon yelled.

"If we miss this train, there's not another one for three days," Edward added as he and the two boys ran after the retreating train. Both Al and Brandon managed to hop on board, luggage in hand as Edward ran a few inches away.

"Now you three be careful," Alyson called out as she and Katy ran behind the boys.

"You too, Aly," Edward yelled back as he made it onto the train thanks to Al's help. "And don't forget to call Aunty and the Colonel to keep them posted."

"Please, like you're really one to talk Ed!"

"And make sure to steal that old man's techniques so you'll have something even better for me the next time I see you, okay," he added as he waved goodbye.

Katy and Aly lingered on the platform for awhile as they watched the train disappear into the distance. This marked the first time the group separated for an unknown amount of time. "Well, that's it. They're gone," Katy said as she looked over at the older girl.

"We'll see them again," Alyson said with a smile that reached her eyes. "Real soon."

* * *

**As always, review, favorite or follow this story. And since next Tuesday is my birthday I might be posting a two chapter update as my present to my readers. But that all depends whether or not I'm not busy or tired. Wish me luck and thanks for reading!**


	12. One Is All, All is One

**AN: Hey everyone, I'm back and I've been 17 years old for 2 days now. I FEEL OLD AND I'M STILL SHORTER THAN I THOUGHT I WOULD BE AT THIS AGE! Anyway, being the total FMA otaku that I am, I bought the remaining episodes I needed to complete the Brotherhood series (which were episodes 2-14). So now I can edit a bit more faster than before when I was relying on memory. I also got some Bleach and Death Note episodes, two more of what I like to call epic animes. I digress, I meant to have this chapter out to you guys yesterday but I've been really busy lately. Getting prepared for senior year is not fun, my parents are still pressuring me to look into colleges and all the yucky stuff that comes with it. I go back to school 2 weeks from today so updating will try updating as much as I can in the remaining days I have left. Once school starts I'm gonna have to make myself a schedule for updating but we'll worry about that when the moment comes by. **

**I'd like to thank starrat for reviewing the last chapter and DarkMoon010 for following this story. I makes me very happy when I get these alerts for my story. I'm glad to say that eleven chapters in and this story has reached over 700 views. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this story and has truly enjoyed it. Makes me feel that I can actually write something and that this story, a story that has taken me 4 years to write and perfect, is something that people are pleased to read. I can say, that the written pen and paper form of this story is almost done; I need to finish chapter 64 and make an epilogue. So this story has a long way to go still and I hope those who are currently on board will stick with me and that we'll get some more to hop on as this story progresses. Thanks for listening to my rambling and here's chapter 12 of TS.**

* * *

**Chapter 12: One is All, All is One**

_Golden eyes glaring down at him. The sun's rays allowing the young boy to see the man's cold stare as he stood in front of the door._

Edward's eyes shot open, sweat covering his face as he leaned his head against his hand. His eyes narrowed as he tried forgetting the hated memory from his youth.

"Brother, we've almost reached the Dublith Station," Alphonse said, watching his older brother sink into the train bench. "Were you having a dream?"

"Yeah, I was dreaming about him," Edward gruffly replied. Alphonse nodded his head in understanding and even Brandon knew who Edward was referring to.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Well guys, we're finally here," Edward said, letting his head drop as he sighed. "It would be nice if Teacher wasn't home," he added as they stood in front of the home. When the door opened, out came a towering man who held a bloody knife. The man was pretty heavily built and could easily take the three boys down in a test of strength. As the boys cowered back in fear, Brandon thought long and hard how Edward, Alphonse, and Alyson survived being taught in this household. "Hello, Sig."

"Long time no see," Alphonse nervously added.

Sig placed his hand on Edward's head, ruffling his hair with each movement of his hand. "Good to see you, you've grown up a little, huh?" he said.

"You're squishing me," the little golden haired alchemist managed to say.

"You probably don't recognize me or him, but it's Alphonse and this is Brandon Piers," Al added. "Sorry we've been away so long."

Without breaking his quiet demeanor, Sig placed his hands on both Brandon and Alphonse's heads in the same manner. "Nice to meet you, Brandon. Looks like you've grown up more than a little."

If suits of armor could blush, Alphonse was for sure rosy pink. _'No one's patted my head like this since back before I lost my body.'_

…

"Izumi, the Elric shrimps and one of their friends have come for a visit. Do you think you can see them?" Sig asked through the open window of their bedroom.

"I'll be right there. I'm feeling a little bit better today."

The boys stood at the front door of the house, listening in to the spouses' talk. "Lying down? That's not a good sign," Al stated.

"I guess she hasn't gotten any better since last time," Edward added. All of a sudden, the door opened and the boys immediately tensed. In the blink of an eye, Edward was kicked straight in the face and was thrown to the building across the street from the house. Then, a woman in her mid to late thirties stepped out of the house. Dressed in all white, a small flamel tattoo resided on her collarbone, mirroring the symbol the Elric's and Alyson carried. Taking strides over to the little alchemist, she loomed over him enough to scare him out of his wits.

"Hello my stupid pupil," Izumi greeted. "I hear you've become one of the military's dogs." Just when they thought they'd escaped her wrath, Izumi turned to look at the armored boy and the visibly shaken thirteen year old.

"Teacher, you see it's because…"

"Al, look at you. You've gotten so big," Izumi cheerfully remarked, a big stretch from her demeanor moments ago.

"Teacher," Alphonse said, approaching Izumi while extending his arm. "It's really good to see you AHHHHHHH!"

"Your skills are rusty," she replied after grabbing Al's wrist and flipping him to the ground with ease.

"You've got lots of energy for someone who's not feeling well," Alphonse said as Edward made his way back, clutching his head.

"Not feeling well! What are you talking about? I'm perfectly " she was cut off, spitting up blood and making the boys scream.

"You shouldn't exert yourself," Sig noted as he placed a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"How sweet of you to worry dear, thank you," Izumi replied as she hugged her husband, making the boys uncomfortable being around the lovey dovey aura.

…

"Nice to meet you Brandon, I'm Izumi Curtis, a pleasure."

"I've hear great things about you from the boys and Alyson. My sister and I wanted to meet you so much," the now calm Brandon said.

"Speaking of which, where is Alyson?" Izumi asked. "It would've been nice to see her again."

"She's in Rush Valley along with my sister, Katy," Brandon replied. "They decided to stay behind and learn some things about automail engineering."

"I see, well what about you three? What brings you here?" The boys and the Curtis couple moved inside the house, situating themselves at the kitchen table. "The Philosopher's Stone? No, I don't know much about it, it holds no interest for me."

"I see, okay," Edward disappointedly replied.

"There was this one alchemist. I thought that one man from Central knew a good amount about the Stone," Sig added.

"So who was this guy?" Brandon asked.

"Let me think," Izumi said, taking a moment to recall the person in question. "What was his name…Hohenheim." The single name made the boys gasp, eyes opening wide as Edward clenched his left hand into a fist. "What is it?"

"Then he's alive," Edward stated

"Someone you know?"

"He's our father," Alphonse answered.

"The one who ran out on you when you were little?"

"Yeah, that's the one," Edward snapped back. "It's all because of that bastard that our mother's dead and if it wasn't for him…"

* * *

"_Oh, you boys are up early," Trisha said with a smile. "What are you doing out of bed?"_

"_Al said he had to go potty," Edward managed to say through a yawn. Alphonse held on to his pajama sleeve as he was slowly falling asleep where he stood._

"_And of course his big brother took care of him," Trisha replied, bending down to ruffle sleepy Ed's hair. "Thanks a lot, little man."_

_When Edward fully opened his eyes, he was upset to see his father's piercing glare. With a turn, Hohenheim opened the door and left his home without even sparing the boys one more look._

_Later on in the day, the boys sat at the table and ate while Trisha organized the dish cabinet. Looking to his left, Edward noticed that the chair had been unoccupied for a long time now. "Hey, why isn't dad here?"_

"_Your dad left," Trisha replied, closing the cabinet._

"_When's he coming back, mom?" Al asked._

_Trisha stood before the cabinet for a moment before turning around and making her way to her youngest son. "I'm gonna get you!" She tickled Al's sides, smiling as she did so. "You silly boy, he'll be back before you know it, Al." Edward's smile dropped when he saw a small tear gathered in the corner of his mom's eyes. "Now, finish your dinner boys."_

"_Mom."_

"_Mom?"_

"_Mom!"_

"_MOM!"_

_The boys had found her collapsed on the floor of their home._

* * *

"Did our dad say anything about the Philosopher's Stone?" Alphonse asked, attempting to lighten the atmosphere.

"Something about a lifelong dream coming true," Izumi replied. "He seemed very happy when he said that." She pushed herself up from her chair and walked over to the sulking golden haired alchemist, punching him on the head. "Now we're going to eat."

"Okay."

…

"You aren't eating, Al?" Sig asked.

"Oh no, I'm fine. I had a big meal on the train ride here."

"Hey Al, you should tell her about Rush Valley," Edward said as he grabbed a bread roll from the basket at the middle of the table. "About the baby being delivered."

"Yeah, we helped deliver a baby. There was this big storm and we couldn't get the mother to a doctor," Alphonse explained.

"I don't know, it's pretty generous to call what we did helping," Edward remarked, biting into a dinner roll.

"Yeah, it was mostly Aly, and the whole family pitched in too," Brandon continued.

"The mother was so brave," Alphonse commented in a nostalgic tone. "Everyone's blessed when a baby's born, huh?"

"Yes, that's right," Izumi agreed. "That same miracle brings us all into this world. Always take pride in the lives that were given you."

…

"Hey Ed," Alphonse called out as his brother lay down in bed. "Teacher hasn't changed, has she?"

"Nope, she hasn't changed one bit in all this time."

* * *

"_Brother, look," Alphonse said as he tugged on Ed's coat. Rain poured down heavily in Resembool that year, the excess water leading to the rivers overflowing. Men were stacking sandbags along the rivers boundaries in order to prevent water from reaching the town. As it continued raining, however, their efforts at containing the water failed. The boys watched as a woman clapped her hands and placed them on the ground, walls of earth soon rose to hold the water back._

"_Well, that ought to hold the water back for awhile," the woman said as she observed her work._

"_Who are you?" an elderly man asked._

"_Just a housewife who was passing by," she replied before coughing up blood, much to the horror of the townspeople._

_In the moment of excitement, Edward and Alphonse ran down from the hill the crowd had gathered. "Hey old lady, could you be our teacher?" Ed asked. The woman clapped her hands and the earth formed a fist, punching the brothers away._

"_Edward! Alphonse!" Alyson yelled out as she maneuvered out of the crowd."Be nice! That's not how you should ask for favors!"_

_Ignoring Alyson's reminder of manners, they ran back up to the housewife. "Pretty please, old lady!"_

"_I'm a little hard of hearing, you see, so I didn't quite catch that," the woman said angrily, holding up a fist."Maybe you'd like to repeat yourselves."_

"_We'll try again," Edward said._

"_Please, please teach us, pretty lady?" Al added, looking up her with his big, round gold eyes._

"_No way."_

"_Why not?" Alyson asked._

"_Because I don't take on students and besides I'm in the middle of a trip."_

"_Please teach us!" the brothers desperately begged, clinging to her coat sleeve._

"_You brats! What about your parents?"_

"_Um…ma'am, the boys don't have any parents," Alyson sadly replied. "They've been staying with my mother and me ever since…" The little girl couldn't help but tear up as she recalled the day Trisha died, only breaking out of the memories when she felt a warm hand on her head._

_The woman looked at the three kids, giving them a small smile. "How am I supposed to say no to that?"_

…

"_You two are on your own. This is your introductory training," Izumi said as she looked over at the brothers while she was docked by the island's shore. "If you do well, you'll move on to the main training phase. During this first stage, the use of alchemy is totally forbidden. One is all and all is one; you have one month to figure out what that means. You better find the answer in the allotted time, if not you're headed back to Resembool." She threw a knife at the sand in front of the boys, giving them a small scare before she rowed off. "Bye!"_

"_WHAT DO WE DO NOW?!"_

_**~Moments later~**_

"_I'm so hungry," Edward said._

"_I want to sleep in a real bed," Alphonse complained. "Why doesn't Alyson have to live on this island too? It's not fair!"_

"_I don't know, but…HOW IS A CAMPING TRIP CONSIDERED ALCHEMY TRAINING?!" Edward screamed._

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"_I wonder if they're doing alright out there," Sig said as he hung a newly cut piece of meat in the fridge._

"_You know what they say, no better teacher than experience. This is the best way for them to learn the essentials of alchemy. I'm teaching them the same way that I was taught," Izumi replied."I allowed the girl to stay here for her training because she learns at her best through thoughts and acquiring information through written means. I gave her the same concept to figure out, challenging her to analyze and connect ideas together to explain the importance of the concept. If they don't learn anything from this, it means their talents as alchemists will be limited and I'll have to give up on them as pupils."_

"_It's not their education I'm worried about," Sig added. "The boys' lives could be in danger out there."_

"_They're not doing anything that I haven't. My training began with a whole month in the Briggs Mountains in winter._

"_You know you shouldn't compare yourself to normal people."_

"_That island has plenty of things to eat; they're not going to die."_

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"_Got one!" the brothers exclaimed as they same their trap successfully ensnared a rabbit._

"_How are we supposed to eat it?" Alphonse asked._

"_We kill it," Edward said, taking out the knife they received. The boys stared at the rabbit, meeting its big eyes as it tried begging for its release. Edward handed Alphonse the knife at that moment._

"_No way, you take care of it Brother," Alphonse remarked._

"_Catching them is more my area."_

"_You always make me do the dirty work."_

_By the time the brother's brought their attention back on the rabbit, it was already in a fox's mouth._

"_HEY, COME BACK HERE!" the boys yelled as the chased after the fox. They chased it until they saw the fox bring the rabbit to her two cubs. They watched the little foxes tear at the rabbit's flesh, nauseating them on the spot._

"_Maybe we should just switch to fish," Edward suggested, holding a hand over his mouth._

_They made their way to the island's shore, looking out at the clear water. It was at that moment they faced another issue, "Great, how are we supposed to catch a fish?! We don't have any rods, or lines, hooks, bait, or anything!" Edward screamed._

…

_That night, the brothers managed to make a hut from wood and multiple leaves. "Well, here we are. No food, no fire, no nothing," Al said._

"_Don't remind me," Ed shouted._

_The following day did not get any better for the Elric boys. Rain prevented them from doing anything. On the sixth day, the sun caused a massive heat wave to spread throughout the island. Edward's vision was starting to blur and soon hallucinations of food emerged. When he looked over at Alphonse, he saw a perfectly cooked piece of meat, making his mouth water. He jumped onto his little brother, taking a bite out of his shoulder until Al pushed him off."Hey! What are you trying to do to me?" _

_Ed noticed some nearby ants that soon morphed into bits of candy in his eyes, making the little Elric pluck them off the ground and eat them."THIS IS SO GROSS!" Ed shouted, collapsing on a bed of leaves. "Al, I'm still alive. I'm alive because I ate the ants. I'm alive because I consumed life. I'm still alive."_

…

_The brothers cut a log in half and grabbed a small stick, holding it perpendicular to the log. "We're not going to die," Edward said._

_With this newly found confidence, the boys started to be successful. They caught food, made fires, and survived for twenty nine days._

"_Tomorrow will be one month," Edward declared._

"_Hey Brother, have you figured out what Teacher meant by "One is all and all is one?"" Al asked. "I've been thinking about it this whole time but I only still have a few vague ideas."_

"_I'm not really sure about this, but do you remember when I was weak from hunger and I ate those ants?" Ed asked._

"_You ate a lot of them."_

"_I sure did. Boy did they taste nasty, but then that got me thinking. If I hadn't eaten them, I might have died. Then I would've been eaten by them. I'd go into the earth and become grass and the rabbits would eat that."_

"_You're talking about the food chain, right?"_

"_Yeah, but it's not just that either," Edward answered. "Long time ago this whole island was probably at the bottom of the sea. And tens of thousands of years from now, it could be the peak of a mountain for all we know."_

"_All things are connected, is that what you're saying?"_

"_Everything we see, everyone we meet is caught up in a great, unseen flow. But it's bigger than that; it's the entire world, the entire universe even. Compared to something as big as that, Al, you and I are tiny, not even the size of ants. We're only one small part within the much greater flow, nothing more than a fraction of the whole. But by putting all those ones together, you get one great all just like Teacher said. The flow of this universe follows laws of such magnitude that you and I can't even imagine them."_

_**The Next Morning**_

"_Today is the day, let's hear what you have learned about one is all and all is one," Izumi said._

"_All is the world," Alphonse confidently replied._

"_And one is me," Edward finished._

_Izumi looked down at the boys, breaking out into laughter before composing herself. "Very well, now the real training starts."_

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"_The basis of transmutation is the power of the circle which denotes the circulation of power. In order to call upon and harness this power one must draw a structural matrix over the circle," Izumi said as she fended off the attacks of the three kids while reading a book."This is also the circulation of power. It's best if you experience it for yourself." She signaled Edward to come at her, even though the short boy feared what would happen. He bravely charged towards her only to end up face first onto the ground. "Enough of that keep reviewing the morning's lessons until lunch is ready."_

"_Let's see," Alyson said, drawing a circle in the soil. "The circle denotes the circulation of power. In order to call upon and harness this power, one must draw a structural matrix over the circle. But Teacher, you just put your palms together to perform transmutations, don't you? You can do it without drawing the structural matrix?"_

"_If you think about it in a certain way, I myself am the matrix."_

"_How do you do it?" Edward asked. "Tell us Teacher."_

"_Perhaps it's something you learn when you see the truth."_

* * *

Remembering his own gate, Edward shot up from his bed. "Our Teacher has seen the Truth too."

**The Next Morning**

"So, what is it you wanted to ask me?" Izumi questioned as she and the boys stood outside her home.

"Well " Edward started. All of a sudden, Izumi came charging at him with a spear. Ed put his hands together and transmuted his hidden automail arm into his blade, cutting the sharp edge off.

"As I suspected, you can transmute without a matrix," she simply stated. "On top of which, Al is now a suit of armor and two of your limbs are made from automail."

"Teacher, how did you know?"

"Please, I could tell from sparring with you," she replied. "You saw it, didn't you, Edward? You saw it?"

"Yes," the boy answered.

"It seems both of us are beyond help."

"Teacher, you saw it too. Could you tell us?"

…

"For awhile it seemed like we were barren, we wanted a child but couldn't conceive," Izumi explained. "When we were finally able to conceive, I ended up falling gravely ill and our child as well, he wasn't able to take a living breath in this world. And so, I committed the taboo. As a result, I lost parts of my inner organs. What an idiot I was. Now I realize I should've told you sooner, it must have been awful."

"No, I did it to myself after all," Edward replied, straining himself to act indifferent. "It hasn't been that big a deal actually."

"Besides, now I've got this long list of things I get to look forward to eating when I have my body back," Alphonse added. "Right Brandon?"

"Yeah, it's nothing."

"You darling little idiots," she said as she brought the boys into an embrace. "It's okay to hurt, I'm sure the girls have."

"Forgive us," Edward begged, wrapping an arm around Izumi's waist.

"We're so sorry, Teacher," Alphonse added.

"Please forgive us."

"We're so sorry."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"_The flow of this universe follows laws of such magnitude, that you and I can't even imagine them," Edward said."You have to understand that flow, deconstruct it, and then reconstruct it._

"_That's what alchemy is, Brother."_

"_You're right," Edward confirmed. "But it's also what living is."_

"_So the basis of alchemy, deconstruction and then reconstruction is just like the food chain then, isn't it?" Al asked as he and Edward watched the starry night._

"_Like when you eat a rabbit and your body breaks down its flesh. Then it's restructured as a part of yourself. And even before that, the rabbit restructured the grass it ate into part of its own body. Alchemy is part of that flow and the flow is life itself."_

* * *

**Thanks for reading! As always review, favorite, or follow. I'll try to have the next chapter out by the end of this week since I promised all of you a double update week for my birthday.**


	13. Beasts of Dublith

**AN: As promised, here's the second update of the week. Thanks to starrat for reviewing the last chapter and everyone who read the last chapter. As always, enjoy and leave me some reviews or add this story to your favorites/follows. Enjoy**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Beasts of Dublith**

"To think you saw it and managed to survive. I doubt you even know how impressive that is," Izumi said once the boys fully explained how they committed the taboo. "Regardless, I can't accept the decision you made. You're expelled."

"But Teacher "

"Al," Edward said as he put his hand on his brother's chest plate.

"The trains are still running," Izumi added. "Get on one."

Without any form of argument, Edward bowed before Izumi. "Thank you, for everything."

…

"Feel free to drop by if you're ever in town," Sig said as he waited alongside the boys at the station.

"I'm not so sure about that," Al replied.

"You idiots!" Sig yelled, startling the boys. "You're so busy pouting that you can't see what your expulsion means. You aren't her students anymore so now you're finally free to speak to Izumi as equals. Unless, of course, you're too chicken to try it."

"Ah damn," Edward complained, face palming himself on the forehead. "Al, Brandon, we haven't done what we came here to do in the first place. Thank you, we're heading back there right now."

"Don't let her kill you!"

…

Edward was the first to reach the Curtis' home, bursting through the front door. "Teacher!" he yelled, only to be met with a freshly sharpened knife thrown to his head, engraving itself into the wall.

"What the hell are you doing coming back here? And you called me Teacher, I do not teach scum like you. Get out of my home!"

"Teacher, we came to you because we're trying to find a way to get our bodies back," Al replied. "We also need to help Alyson, Brandon, and his sister get back what they lost."

"And we won't leave without your help," Brandon added.

"GET OUT NOW!"

"We're staying!"

After a few moments of silence, Izumi caved in. "You idiots."

…

"Alyson, did she see the Truth?" Izumi asked. "And Al, you didn't see the Truth, did you?"

"Possibly, but she doesn't recall what she saw half the time," Al replied. "But no, I don't really even know what that means."

"You both must have lost your memories from the shock," she inquired. "We need to get Alyson's and Al's memories back. She was the midpoint of the transmutation while his entire body was taken from him. Just think what they must have seen."

"Oh yeah," Edward agreed. "We only exchanged parts of our bodies for what we saw while Katy and Brandon exchanged a good portion of their body's energy. But Al paid the toll with his entire physical being and Alyson paid with some of her energy and part of essence. They must have seen more of the Truth than either one of us did."

"So, if Al and Alyson can remember what they saw, then we'll know how to get the brothers' their bodies back and how to restore our own?" Brandon asked.

"But the memory of that thing…" Izumi started.

"That thing…"Edward repeated.

"What? Is it something bad?" Alphonse asked.

"No it's more like…awful," Izumi replied.

"Yeah and horrifying," Brandon added, his face paling in an instant.

"It could drive you insane," Izumi remarked.

"Or even leave you brain dead," Edward said, successfully sending his little brother into a deeper sense of fear.

"That doesn't matter, if there's a chance that it can help us then I want to do it," Alphonse replied. "Knowing Alyson, she'll jump at the chance without thinking of the horrors."

"Alright, I have an acquaintance that might know a way to retrieve your memories for you," Izumi said, giving the boys a bigger boost of hope. "But let's eat dinner first. Give me a hand."

"Okay."

Outside the house, a suspicious person listened in to their conversation. "The rumors are true," he said as he peered away from the window. "He's able to transmute human souls."

* * *

**East City, Eastern Command Center**

"There's only one week left until the big transfer, huh?" General Grumman said, knocking over a black pawn with his queen.

"Yes sir," Mustang quickly replied as he calculated his next move.

"It just won't be the same without," the older man remarked. "You brought some color into this dreary desert."

"I'm boring compared to some of the stories I've heard about you."

"Well, all your hard work has made my life easier. I finally got to relax."

"And I feel like I've grown as an officer thanks to the variety of work you've allowed me to take on," Mustang replied. The General moved his king back, bringing a smile to the Colonel's face as he slammed down his queen. "Checkmate."

"What?"

"It took me long enough to beat you," Mustang said as he cleaned off the chessboard.

"You can consider that my going away gift," Grumman remarked as he pulled a small journal from his pocket.

"Well then, if you're in a gift giving mood there's something else I'd like."

…

"Master Sergeant Kain Fuery, Warrant Officer Vato Falman, Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda, Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc, and First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. Gather up your things, all five of you are transferring to Central with me and no objections. Understood?" Parker ordered.

"I've got a problem, sir," Havoc said. "See I just started dating this girl and I really like her."

"Dump her," Mustang simply put it, crushing Havoc with his cruelty and earning him a comforting pat on the back from Riza.

* * *

"Come on, not again. Your wounds are never going to heal if you don't give it a rest," the Ishvalan boy said as in walked in, seeing Scar lifting a make-shift weight. He had some company with him that Scar immediately recognized.

"Master?" Scar said as he looked at the older Ishvalan. They took a seat on the hut floor across each other. "I'm glad that you're well."

"I was informed that you've been targeting state alchemists for execution. I know the animosity you feel towards them. A state alchemist is responsible for the burning of our village and the death of our loved ones. But, your vengeance will only sow the seeds of further violence. What you're doing is senseless revenge and it's feeding a fruitless cycle of death. You must end this cycle once and for all."

"Anybody home?" a man asked as he opened up the hut. "Well would you look at that, he really is here. He's got the scar and everything."

"Looks like you got yourself a deal. We'll split the bounty three ways with you," another man said, looking for the aid. "Guess he didn't want the reward." A minute later, a middle aged man with black hair and scruffy clothes peered out from behind some rubble.

"Yoki, how could you do something like this? We took you in and treated you like family when you had nowhere else to go," an Ishvalan man said.

"Just shut up! I never wanted anything to do with you Ishvalans," Yoki yelled. "You lost your war but I'll rise again. I'll rise up! I will rise and I'll use my power to annihilate Edward Elric. Now then, capture him please so we can fetch our money."

"It's obvious that I'll only bring more trouble if I stay here," Scar said as he walked out of the hut.

"Thanks for making this easy, pal," one of the men remarked. Next thing he knew, his right hand was transmuted off of his body.

"The hell? What did you do to him?" When the man's partner tried to retaliate, Scar grabbed his face.

"I'll give you a moment to pray to God."

"You should be the one praying, freak!" And with that, Scar transmuted him until his body fell limp on the ground.

"No…no wait," Yoki pleaded as Scar walked towards him. "Please, I'm sorry. Please, don't kill me. Please, I'm begging you to spare my life. I'll do anything." All Scar did was bend down to pick up one of the men's sunglasses.

"So you're leaving then?" the master asked. "Your brother would be sad."

"Still, it's too late to turn back now," Scar replied, turning around and walking away.

* * *

Outside the Curtis home, Alphonse was sweeping the main steps under a bright sun. When he looked at the ground in front of him, he noticed a crumpled up piece of paper was deliberately thrown at his feet. When he looked around the area, he saw no one around that could have possibly thrown the note. Out of curiosity, he picked up the piece of paper and read it.

…

"He's here," a short man called out as he sniffed the air. He wasn't alone when Alphonse showed up; he had a group of two other men and even a young woman with him. "There you are, about time."

"We know your secret. Meet us at the Devil's Nest is you want to talk," Al restated, holding up the paper. "I'm guessing you're the people that wrote this note."

"That's right and we know a lot about you."

"Well that's good because there's a lot about me that I don't know," Al replied.

"Then I'm the guy you want to talk to," the short man said. Alphonse knew he could easily take him, but the sword the guy was carrying around his waist was not to be taken lightly. "Why don't you come with us?"

"But my teacher always said I'm not supposed to go with strangers."

"How old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"Well come on then. I'd say fourteen is old enough to think for yourself, kid. You gotta act like an adult and start taking some risks."

"You think so?" Al asked. "I should think for myself?"

"Yes and you can start by coming with " the man started, only to be interrupted by a kick to his face.

"So I thought it over for myself and I decided that I should just make you tell me what I want to know."

"So you want to do this by force," the man said as he drew his sword. Alphonse landed a punch on the man's face, but the swordsmen hit his head off, giving the woman a chance to slither inside of Al.

"Sorry to drop in," she said.

"You're inside me?!"

"Hey, be a good boy and hold still." She slipped her arms into the armor's arms, locking them in place despite Alphonse's struggling. "So what's it like having someone control you from the inside?"

"You can't stop me from moving," Al remarked as he tried freeing himself. "And you're not strong enough to hold this up forever."

"You're right, but all I'm trying to do is slow you down a little."

"For my turn," the newcomer said, grabbing onto Al's right arm and pinning him to the ground. "You alright in there?"

"Oh I'm wonderful," the woman sarcastically replied.

"You're making this way too hard, kid," the shorter man said as he threw Al's head in front of the armored boy.

"You people aren't human, are you?" Al asked.

"Yes, they're chimeras and they happen to work for me," a tall, strongly built man replied as he picked up Al's helmet head. To the average person, his spiky black hair, sunglasses, black pants and sleeveless shirt made him look like any other normal person. However, this man had a secret that would introduce the kids to another world.

…

"Cool, you're actually hollow," the spiky haired guy remarked as he peered inside Al, seeing the woman named Martel sitting inside of him."The name's Greed and I want to be your friend."

"Then why don't you tell me what you people really are? You're not chimeras, it's impossible. No one's made a chimera that could talk," Al retorted.

"You can't believe everything the government tells you kid. You've got all the proof you need right inside you. The girl in there is part snake and this big guy here…Roa what were you made with? Cow?"

"Yeah," Roa answered.

"We've also got a lizard and a crocodile, and the little runt you took down earlier tends to lift his leg when he pees," Greed added.

"Only once!" the half dog man, Dolcetto, exclaimed.

"You're part dog?" Al asked.

"Yup, it's really not so bad," Dolcetto replied.

"I don't believe it, it's not possible," Al remarked. "Who would even be capable of creating one?"

"The military."

"Did you say "

"You got it," Greed said with a grin. "There's a shadow world beneath yours that's jam packed with the impossible. Hell, I'm more uncommon then they are. I'm a homunculus." He lifted his left hand into Al's view, an Ouroboros tattoo plainly seen on his palm. "You know what that means, right? I'm an artificially created human. Really, no joke."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"_A homunculus?" a four year old Alphonse asked._

"_It's a person made from alchemy," Edward replied, reading it out from a textbook._

"_But doesn't that book say you're not supposed to try and make people?"_

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"You're lying! A homunculus is just a theory, nobody's made one," Al exclaimed.

"Man, guess I got to prove it," Greed said as he took off his sunglasses. Next thing that happened, Roa struck Greed with a metal rod to the face, his blood splattering everywhere.

"Why did you do that to him?" Alphonse asked, but Greed's body held up a finger and stood up. Red sparks radiated off his neck as the anatomy of his head started to form once again.

"That's one time I've died," Greed said, cracking the bones in his neck. "You get it yet? Nothing is impossible alright. I'm a little surprised you would have such a hard time accepting that, considering you're just a soul in a suit of armor."

"Who told you that?"

"People like to talk in the shadow world and I've got plenty of friends. Well, let's skip this casual chit-chat. I'm more interested in hearing what it's like to have a body that will never die. An individual soul transmuted and bound to an object, it sounds like that's the perfect recipe for immortality to me. Let me explain, you see I'm Greed. I want everything you can think of: money and women, power and sex, status, glory. I demand the finer things and of course I crave eternal life."

"Aren't you already immortal?" Alphonse asked.

"Well, I guess I was put together a little sturdier than most, I am nearly two hundred years old, but I wouldn't exactly say I'm immortal. So, I've spilled my guts all over, told you my darkest secret, now it's your turn. How did you get your body?" Greed asked.

"Just make this easy and tell him," Martel added. "Unless you'd rather be examined, which means we'll have to take you apart."

"I wish I could tell you, that would mean I actually remember how I got it," Al replied. "But even if I could, I'm not the one who did the transmutation."

"That's not a problem," Greed said. "In that case, I'll just ask the person who did."

* * *

"Now where would a seven foot tall suit of armor run off to?" Edward asked as he carried around the broom Al was using. Brandon stayed behind, opting to learn some new fighting techniques from Izumi.

"I'd be happy to tell you where you could find him," a half-lizard half-human said from an alleyway. "But first you tell me what his secret is."

…

The door to the Devil's Nest hideout busted open, the half lizard-man falling to the floor in a badly beaten state. Edward soon appeared in the doorway, looking none too pleased.

"Brother!"

"Never really crossed my mind that you could get kidnapped," Edward stated as he walked into the room.

"Brother, this guy's a homunculus," Al said, referring to Greed.

"Are you serious?"

"Hey, way to ruin it," Greed commented.

"We might be able to get some leads from him on how to get our original bodies back," Al added.

"An Ouroboros tattoo," Edward said upon seeing Greed's mark.

"Aren't you observant? I was hoping that I'd only have to deal with the little armored giant," Greed replied.

"Why don't you ask your partners whatever you want to know?" Edward remarked. "The rest of the Ouroboros gang from the Fifth Lab; they had a couple of armor bonded souls with them as well."

"You don't say? Well, it's kind of a long story, but we don't talk much anymore," Greed stated. "I've got a little proposal for you. You guys are pretty desperate to get your bodies back and help your little friends get back to normal, right? Because I could teach you how to fabricate your own homunculus in no time at all. In return, all I ask is you to teach me how transmute a soul. Classic equivalent exchange, but I really don't understand why you would want your other body back. Seems like you've got one that's perfect already."

"No I don't," Al yelled.

"You're joking right?" Greed scoffed. "You don't need to eat. You don't need to sleep. You don't even need to use the toilet! Sounds great to me."

"That's enough, shut your damned mouth!" Edward screamed. "Sounds great to you? It seems perfect? You don't know anything about the hell he's had to go through stuck with that body. And you want to know how to transmute a soul! You kidnapped my brother and you want to trade secrets with me! I'M GOING TO CRUSH YOU CREEPS! I'LL SMASH YOU AND YOU! AND I WON'T GIVE YOU SLIME ANYTHING! IN OTHER WORDS, THERE WON'T BE AN EXCHANGE WITH YOU SCUM!" The major rage rant earned him a slow round of applause from Greed and overwhelmed faces from the underlings.

"I guess we're doing this by force again," the human-dog man said.

"Don't kill him, alright," Greed ordered as he saw his underling swing his sword at Edward.

"You're a lot slower than a prisoner I know," Edward remarked as he jumped over the blade, punching the guy out. "Next."

"Roa, get the armored kid out of here," Greed ordered. "Guess we'll dismantle him."

"Alright," he said, throwing Al over his shoulder.

"Drop him!" Edward yelled as he ran toward Greed. He managed to land a hit on Greed's hand with his automail blade, but a black coating covered the homunculus's palm.

"Nope, sorry, that little hand sword of yours is kind of neat but it can't even scratch my Ultimate Shield."

Edward started transmuting the floor into little spikes that barely grazed Greed's body. When he had a chance, he jumped and twisted Greed's head, sending him to the floor. "Guard your head next time."

"That move would've hospitalized most people," Greed remarked, having blood trickling from his left temple.

"But you're not like most people, huh?"

"Well, my body is. All that sets me apart are my Ultimate Shield and my advanced healing powers. Nothing special, but you're never going to beat me so I'd suggest making a deal," Greed replied, noticing Edward's growing scowl as he held on to his bleeding torso. "So you're one of those guys, huh? You don't care if someone beats the crap out of you, but if someone lays a finger on a family member or touches a loved one you completely freak out. What a waste. You lose your temper like this and you're going to lose my information and your brother."

"My brother's fine, he's just waiting for me to kick your ass. You've already told us you're not immortal, remember? And your Ultimate Shield doesn't cover much."

"Sorry to let you down, but I've been holding back. This obscures my handsome face, so I try not to wear it that much," Greed said as the Ultimate Shield expanded across his body. "I wasn't kidding kid, try all you'd like but you're not going to beat me."

* * *

"I found this lying in the alley," Sig said as he held up the abandoned broom.

"And you're saying…they're both missing?" Izumi asked. "Those idiots! They can't even sweep the street without getting into trouble. THEY'RE LUCKY I EXPELLED THEM OTHERWISE I'D KILL THEM!"

"I think I can help," a young man said. "Here catch!" Brandon caught the little box in his hand, showing it to Izumi. "A friend of mine noticed a short blonde haired kid heading into a bar called the Devil's Nest."

* * *

"You dead yet?" Greed asked as he saw Edward slumped against a wall smeared in his blood. Hearing that only pushed Edward to get up and attempt one more attack against the homunculus. "There you go, you're chocked full of piss and vinegar." Greed took hold of Ed's face, holding up in the air. "I appreciate the effort, but you just can't win." He flung Ed into a few wooden crates before lifting him from the collar of his jacket. "So are you ready to tell me your secret now?"

"Thanks for toying with me, you gave me just enough time to cool off and start thinking clearly," Ed muttered, moving the fingers of his automail hand. "Is my mechanic amazing or what? Even after all this, it's still working." In the blink of an eye, Edward put his hands on Greed's arm, transmuting it before Greed threw him back.

"How long do you want to drag this out, kid? It'd be so much easier if you just stayed down." When Greed went in for a punch, Edward's newly spiked fist met with his and the Ultimate Shield broke down, resulting in Greed's hand to bleed. Covering it once again, he smashed one of the spikes Edward transmuted earlier. "Well that was bizarre. Good as new." When he went to kick Edward, the alchemist transmuted his abdomen. "What was that for?" Edward jumped back, transmuting more spikes from the ground to Greed's direction. "Come on, again? Try a new one." He took the attack head on, the spikes piercing through his body as he lurched back. "What the hell did you do to my shield?"

"It's actually pretty simple once you think about it. You may be a homunculus, but you really shouldn't have told me that your body's human, considering that means a third of it is made of carbon. The hardness of carbon varies depending on how the atoms are arranged so it's obvious that's what your shield is made of. Once I got that figured out, the rest is simple alchemy," he added, wiping the blood from his mouth.

"I'm glad to hear it, it's no fun if it's not a challenge," Greed replied as he charged toward Edward.

"And there's one other important thing I noticed," Edward said as he struck Greed's side, cracking some of his shield. "You can't harden your shield and heal at the same time."

"I think that it's safe to say that I underestimated you, but how much longer can you keep this up in your condition?"

_**BAM! The door behind Edward exploded as dust filled the room.**_

"Sorry to barge in like this," Izumi said, Brandon following closely behind.

"Teacher? Brandon?"

"YOU DAMNED IMBECILE!" Izumi yelled, kicking Edward into the opposite wall. "You think it's funny not to put the broom away?! I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!"

"No, I'm so sorry."

"Thanks for your hospitality, he definitely needed the exercise," she said, looking at Greed's current state.

"Teacher, careful he's a "

"Yes, we know. We could hear the two of you all the way down the hall," Brandon added.

"Give me a break," Greed remarked. "Don't tell me you're going to try and start anything lady, it's no fun fighting a woman. With that, Izumi followed Ed's procedure, using alchemy to change the carbon atoms and inflicted a blow on the homunculus. "Well now, just what the hell are you?"

"You asked what I am?" she asked. "A HOUSEWIFE!"

* * *

**Thanks for reading! You know the drill from here. See ya next week! XD**


	14. Those Who Lurk Underground

**AN: Hey everyone, so I made it within my time frame and have managed to squeeze out another chapter. Sadly, I start my Senior year next week so I'll try to get another two chapters out before then...maybe one more this week and another before I start school. I'm gonna try to sort out a schedule for updates after at least my first week of school. So far I'm thinking to updating at least every week but center my updates during the weekends. The longest I would consider is about once or twice a month...it's so hard to decide right now. I'll try to establish something by next week but regardless I am determined to finish this story so if updates become sporadic I'm sorry. Anyway, enough of my ranting so we can get to the important stuff. 843 views for this story! That is amazing, I'm hoping to get at least 1,000 by chapter 16 if not more. I'd like to thank Ashiichann for following and favoriting this story! Makes me happy to see people reading and actually liking my work, so thank you to all. Now, onto Ch 14 of TS, enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Those Who Lurk Underground**

Walking down the halls of Central Command wasn't an easy task for Roy Mustang. Other soldiers of several ranks whispered about how the young man had connections to the senior staff, attributing that to his transfer. The soldiers were already betting that the Colonel would fall as quickly as he rose to power. As he made his way down to the Fuhrer's office, Mustang smirked at all the assumptions made. "Good morning," he said as he addressed the receptionist. "Colonel Roy Mustang."

"Oh yes, Colonel Mustang. I'm terribly sorry but your transfer was poorly timed. His Excellency the Fuhrer is away."

"Where is he?"

"Conducting an inspection at Southern H.Q."

"He's in the South?"

* * *

"Something doesn't smell right to me," Dolcetto said as he sniffed the sewer air.

"You know what it feels like to me? Old times," Roa replied as he carried Alphonse over his shoulder with Martel still inside the armor.

…

"What an interesting discovery for such a routine inspection," Fuhrer Bradley remarked as he and a team, which included Major Armstrong, stood in front of the Devil's Nest. "Move in."

…

"A housewife and two hot headed brats, what a team," Greed said, sarcasm dripping from every word. "Though to be honest, it's not one I'm particularly interested in fighting. I'll just be on my way now."

"What?" Edward questioned.

"You coward!" Izumi yelled before coughing up another pool of blood. While the boys' attention was on her, Greed managed to sneak out.

"TEACHER! WHAT'S WRONG?!"

"He ran away," Izumi muttered. "How pathetic."

"You okay now?" Edward asked as held Izumi around the waist with his right arm. Brandon supported her with an arm around her shoulders as she slipped into another bloody cough, causing the boys to panic once again. "Teacher, just hang on!" To Edward's surprise, three armed soldiers were positioned in the doorway.

…

"Will you stay put?" Martel yelled as Al squirmed against his restraints along the sewer floor."Quit struggling, you oaf!"

"I…don't…wanna!"

Hearing incoming footsteps, Martel lifted Al's helmet head off to look outside. "Greed!"

"Martel, I'm glad to see that you're safe."

"What's going on up there?" she asked. "No one else has made it back yet."

"Yeah, things have gotten a little out of hand so we need to figure a way out of here."

"I can't let you do that," a new voice said, startling Martel back inside the armor boy.

"Just what do you want, old man?" Greed asked.

"It's the Fuhrer," Alphonse stated, seeing Bradley drawing his two swords from their sheaths. "Why is he here?"

"King Bradley?" Martel questioned.

"Huh, what's the most powerful man in the land doing down here?" Greed asked.

"Not that you'd know, but growing old isn't easy. This marks my sixtieth birthday. It's frustrating how your body stops moving the way you want it to. So I'd like to finish this job as quickly as possible and return home."

"I got an idea," Greed replied as his Ultimate Shield spread on his right arm. "Retire!" As Greed was about to strike, Bradley sliced his right hand off and let it fall in the dirty water beside them. "Well look at this, the old man's got some moves." Bradley brought his sword down several times, pushing Greed to step back as he tried to regenerate. The homunculus wasn't so lucky at avoiding the attacks, taking lacerations to the leg, eye, and chest. When Bradley saw an opportunity, he punched Greed with a force great enough to send him crashing into the wall.

"GREED!"

* * *

"Behold! You have just had the rare pleasure of witnessing the Armstrong statuary technique," the Major exclaimed since he had successfully transmuted Roa's hammer into a mini statue of himself. Roa was none too pleased, discarding the weapon immediately.

"Well then, I guess my ordinary methods aren't going to work," Roa replied as he removed his jacket. He then started morphing; growing horns and increasing in muscle mass.

"Now that's certainly peculiar," Armstrong commented. Seeing the incoming punch, Armstrong ducked and let Roa create a massive dent in the wall. When the Major went in for his own punch, he saw that Roa suffered no damage at all.

Down the hall, gunshots fired off as two of Greed's chimera underlings laid dead on the ground. "We've secured the boys and the woman, now eliminate every last one of these freaks," a soldier called out as the rain of bullets killed off three more of the human chimeras. "Those are the Fuhrer's direct orders."

After being pressed against the wall, Armstrong's head was bleeding on the right side before he punched Roa away. "You are a most commendable adversary."

"And you're just as tough as ever, Major Armstrong," Roa countered. "The last time I saw you in action was the Ishvalan Civil War."

"A former ally? Even more reason to end, no need for such bloodshed. Surrender!"

"And just let myself be killed?"

"Major!" a soldier warned before bullets were fired at Roa. Out of nowhere, Dolcetto sliced the soldiers at the throat, halting a few of the attacks. He then struck a gas pipe, releasing steam everywhere to allow him and Roa to escape.

* * *

"I understand why you think you have an advantage over a man like me since I possess neither your impenetrable Ultimate Shield nor an Ultimate Spear that can pierce any substance," Bradley stated as he drove his two swords through Greed's throat. "But, I'll tell you a secret. Do you know how I managed to distinguish myself amongst the storms of bullets on the battlefield, time after time, to rise to my current position?"

"You're a " Greed started, noticing Bradley had long ago discarded the eye patch from his left eye, exposing the Ouroboros tattoo.

"I may not have the protection your Ultimate Shield, but I clearly see your weakness with my Ultimate Eye," Bradley replied as he harshly ripped the blades from Greed's flesh, letting bleed an insane amount of blood. "Now then Greed, how many times am I going to have to kill you before you stay dead?"

…

"Where the hell is Greed?" Martel asked.

"I don't know, it's too dark to see anything," Al replied. He heard footsteps echo against the sewer walls followed by Greed's appearance. Shortly after, Bradley ran him through the throat once again.

"NO GREED!"

"Quiet," Alphonse said as he pushed his helmet down.

"Let me out, come on damn it!"

"No way," Al muttered.

"I said open up!"

"I can't," Al warned. "He'll kill you."

"That makes fifteen times you've died now," Bradley remarked. "How many lives have you got left?"

"Damn you," Greed muttered as he willed himself to regenerate.

"Oh crap, I kind of wish we'd died back there," a battered Dolcetto commented.

"There's still plenty of time to tuck in your tail and run away," Roa teased, pressing down the wound on his left shoulder.

"Trust me I'd love to, but I've got this obnoxious canine sense of loyalty." Dolcetto then sliced through the chain restraints around Al's arms and legs. "Do us a favor kid and get her out of here."

"Protect her," Roa added before the two chimera men took off towards Greed and Bradley.

"ROA! DOLCETTO!" Martel yelled, wanting to go with them but Al held her back. "Quit trying to stop me, let me out!"

"I can't," Al replied.

"I don't have time to argue, now open up!" Martell said, slamming her fist against the inside of his armor. "They need my help, damn it!"

"I said no! I can't let you out."

"Just shut up and let me out of here! You're not going to make me sit here and watch my friends get killed are you?"

"They asked me to protect you so quit struggling and be quiet."

"DOLCETTO NO!" Martel screamed as she saw one dead body fall into the sewer water. Shortly after, she saw Roa go down into the murky water."ROA!"

"Please, I'm begging you," Martel whimpered.

"I'm sorry." Al sadly replied. "I can't."

"Whoa, that was a little excessive," a fully regenerated Greed remarked. "Killing me is one thing, but they're not coming back."

"Pity the lost lives of your pawns?" Bradley asked. "Pathetic."

"Excuse me? Are you senile? Did you forget who I am, old man?" Greed retorted. "I am the living incarnation of Greed. Those weren't my friends, Bradley, those were my possessions. Money, women, henchmen, they're all possessions. So killing my henchmen is the same as stealing from me and I don't let people take what's mine."

"Greed, you grow more pathetic by the second," Bradley remarked before charging towards the homunculus. Greed started expanding his Ultimate Shield, trying to dodge Bradley's attacks. Most of the time, Bradley swung his swords down into the murky water as Greed ran out from his reach. However, when Bradley saw the chance to strike, he sunk his swords into Greed's chest and pinned him to the floor. "Now you stay put, I'll be right back."

"We've got to run," Al whispered.

"Not so fast, aren't you the younger brother of Edward Elric?" Bradley asked as he made in way over to the armored boy. "They didn't hurt you, did they? Can I help you at all?"

"Sure…I mean, no…I'm fine. Thanks, but I'm alright." All of a sudden, Al's hand grasped the Fuhrer by the throat due to Martel gaining control. "Martel, don't do this!" the boy yelled. "Stop it Martel, please!"

"DIE BRADLEY!"

The action was too swift, all he knew was that Bradley had slid his sword within his armor, piercing through Martel and letting her blood fly everywhere. Some of the blood landed on Al's own blood seal, making him remember in vivid detail the transmutation that started everything. He remembered hearing Edward call his name as he reached out to him. He remembered seeing a humanoid form sitting in front of him within a white void. Behind him was a door with a unique mural, according to the textbooks he read it was called The Marrow of Alchemy. The gateway opened and tiny black arms pulled him inside, stuffing his head with information and memories until it made him feel like his head would burst. He saw someone reaching out for him within the white void, thinking it was his mother much to the amusement of the human shaped figure. When Alphonse finally grasped his "mother's" hand, he was gripped at the wrist only to see that his own body reached out to him. Alphonse's body was soon deconstructed and all he saw was Edward on the floor before him.

* * *

"Al…Al…wake up."

"Al…say something, Al. AL!"

"Brandon. Brother."

"You okay?" Edward asked.

"Are you okay? You're covered in blood," Al replied, taking in Edward's messy form. He had bandages wrapped around his head and blood was dripping down both of his cheeks. That's when he noticed Edward's casted gaze, bringing his attention to Al's own bloody body. A trail of blood lead from Alphonse to a blanket covered body.

"We thought it best to open you and remove her before you awoke," Armstrong added.

"I couldn't save her," Al said, knowing if he could cry he would.

"You can't blame yourself, Al," Brandon remarked.

"Come on, let's go home. Okay?" Ed said, trying to smile. "Al?"

"Hold it you three," Bradley called out as he made his way to the boys. "There are a few questions I need to ask you three before you can leave. Have either of you had any previous dealings with the man who referred to himself as Greed?"

"Of course not," Edward responded as he got up from the floor.

"Did you happen to trade any matter of information with him?" Bradley asked.

"Not at all," Edward replied. "And the military wasn't even mentioned, not once."

"That isn't my concern, let me be more specific. If you arranged a deal to share any knowledge with him, then I'll execute all three of you, right now," Bradley stated. "I'll ask again, did you share any knowledge that might affect the military?"

"No," Edward retorted. "Can we go now?"

"I am curious about your steel arm and leg and your brother's armored body. Is there any connection between the two?" The question surprised the three boys, rendering them speechless as they looked the Fuhrer in the eye. "You really are an honest kid. Alright men, pull out. You make sure to take good care of your younger brother and friend, Edward. Give my greetings to Miss Piers and Miss Evans when you see them."

* * *

"I appreciate everything you've done for those kids," a bedridden Izumi said.

"Oh no, it's nothing at all. It's simply one of the many duties of the military to protect our state alchemists," Bradley replied. "But what about you? I'm sure you could a little extra protection."

"You mean as a state alchemist?" she asked.

"Why yes, exactly."

"You're asking a bedridden housewife to join the military," Izumi replied. "You can't be serious? Is the country really in so much trouble that you need the help of someone like me?"

"There's no need to be harsh," Bradley replied with a hearty laugh. "Well, I will be back. I'll keep my fingers crossed that when I do return, perhaps you'll have had a change of heart." As Bradley exited the room, eye patch now back in its place, Izumi frowned.

…

"There's something I forgot to mention, Greed had an Ouroboros tattoo," Edward remarked as he was polishing off Al's chest plate.

"I'm not sure I follow," Armstrong replied.

"Think back, the Fifth Laboratory? The Philosopher's stone?" Edward pressed. "Remember the guys I told you and Colonel Hughes about?"

"Colonel Hughes…" Armstrong muttered before grasping Ed's shoulders. "Listen Edward Elric, do not do anything rash."

"…Sure…"

"Well then, goodnight," Armstrong said as he walked away.

"Brother, they're back," Al called out. "All the memories of when my body was taken away, I remember.

"What did you see," Brandon asked.

"Well, it was definitely weird," Al said with a shiver. "But unfortunately, I didn't find out anything about how to get Aly's memories back or how to get our bodies back."

"That's okay," Edward replied, handing Al his chest plate back.

"So I guess we haven't made any progress?" Brandon asked with a sigh.

"No, that's not entirely true," Edward said. "Remember what the Fuhrer told us back in Central, about the unrest amongst the ranks of the military?"

"Yeah, and it all had something to do with the Philosopher's Stone and those Ouroboros guys," Al added. "He said he was trying to gather info on them."

"Well, Greed was obviously connected to them somehow, but if so, why did the Fuhrer slaughter everyone? If he was trying to figure out what they were up to, why didn't he catch them and make them talk?" Ed asked.

"Good point and it also seems a little weird that the Fuhrer himself would lead an attack against such small group," Brandon added.

"Sure does," Edward stated. "No matter how you look at it, none of this adds up. We've been warned, but we need to get closer."

* * *

"Welcome back, Fuhrer. How was your inspection of the South?"

"To say the least it was a very productive visit. It seems both Elric's younger brother and their teacher are worthy candidates for human sacrifice," Bradley informed. "Oh and one other thing, I made an unexpected catch."

"Talk about a blast from the past, it's been a century since I've seen that face," the feminine voice remarked, seeing the fellow homunculus chained and skewered with swords onto a slab of concrete. "Rise and shine, Greed, you can't sleep all day."

"Well, well, the gang's all here," Greed stated.

"Looks like you Ultimate Shield let you down after all."

"Maybe, but you never do Lust the Lascivious. Feel free to pierce me with your Ultimate Spear anytime you want," Greed stated as he looked at the woman that was the embodiment of desire; a curvaceous body, crimson eyes and pitch black hair that came down to her bust. Not to mention the tight fitting black strapless dress, black boots and arm length gloves. Past all of her pleasing attributes, an Ouroboros tattoo could be seen on her chest and this woman had the ability to kill in a second. Turning slightly, Greed glanced at the overweight and dumbfounded of the homunculi. "Hello, Gluttony the Voracious. Still haven't found the right diet for you yet, huh? And little Envy the Jealous. Please, for the last time, get a new outfit." Envy sat on a pipe, none too pleased in having his style of appearance, a sleeveless turtleneck shirt and what looked like a skort, being mocked right in front of him. "Where is Sloth the Indolent these days?"

"I'm sure he'd love to be here slacking off, but we have to keep him working," Lust replied.

"Sorry to say this but it's kind of depressing that none of you have changed in the past one hundred years. So who's the new addition?" Greed asked, eyeing Bradley.

"I am Wrath the Furious."

"Fuhrer King Bradley and Wrath, one in the same," Greed remarked.

"Indeed, the humans know him as the leader of Amestris," Lust added. "But the truth is that he was created by Father for the final stage of the plan."

"A homunculus that can grow older, that's impossible," Greed stated.

"Oh really, I thought nothing was impossible," Envy teased. "You used to toss that one around like it was your catch phrase. You change your mind or something?"

"Shut your worthless trap, ugly," Greed retorted, smirking at the look on Envy's face. "That's a scary face, go on a let it out. Why don't you show us what you really look like, you hideous freak."

"You scum, call me that again and I will destroy you!"

"Stop your nonsense, both of you." A voice called out, silencing them and calling the five homunculi's attention. "It's time you resolved this sibling rivalry. Your Father does not wish to see such ugly behavior."

"Hey pops, long time," Greed called out. "I know it's been a hundred years and all but you sure do look decrepit."

"Greed, you are both my son and you are a piece of my soul. So why would you betray your loving father?"

"I'm surprised you ask, I mean you know the answer to that better than anyone, dad. I'm Greed the Avaricious, you were the one who made me this way, after all, I'm just being myself. I simply have larger ambitions than spending my life working for you."

"And if I were to ask you to return and work for me again?"

"Never."

"As you wish." Gears started turning to reveal a pool of a boiling red-orange liquid beneath Greed. The pool rose from the ground as the mechanisms hooked to the concrete descended Greed in the liquid in one motion.

"Man, talk about cheesy," Greed remarked before his body was lowered into the scalding liquid. "Why don't you come on in kids, the water's fine! Nice and hot just like the flames in Hell. I'll send you a postcard and let you know what they're like and when the rest of you get there, I'll be waiting for you!"

"Now return from where you were born," Father said. "Return to my depths and rejoin my soul. Return Greed."

"If that's what you want, dad! Just don't blame me when you get a stomachache! You did it to yourself!" were Greed's final words. The pool was connected to several tubes, extracting a red liquid from what was in the pool. The crimson substance emptied out into a cup which Father gladly picked up.

"I propose a toast, my children. I should drink for the Promise Day and to your undying loyalty," Father stated before drinking the crimson liquid.

…

"Father! Welcome home, father. I'm so glad you're back."

"And it's good to be back, Selim," Bradley replied.

"Did you have a good trip?" Selim asked, hugging his father around the waist.

"Why yes, I'd say it was productive at the very least."

"I do wish you would act your age, darling. Why couldn't you just retire and try to enjoy some peace and quiet for a change," Mrs. Bradley suggested.

"Hey, now I'm not quite that old yet," Bradley replied. "Oh Selim, you'll never guess who I ran into down South? The Fullmetal Alchemist."

"You saw the little alchemist?" Selim asked excitedly, blushing as he looked wide eyed up to his father. "Can I meet him and his team sometime, father?"

"You sure do like to hear about them, don't you Selim?" Mrs. Bradley asked.

"Well they are the youngest state alchemists ever, right? That's so cool! I mean they're not that much older than me." Both Bradley's took one of Selim's hands as they walked back to their manor, the little boy still ecstatic as ever. "And if they can learn alchemy at their ages then maybe I can too."

"Why would you want to learn something like that?" Mrs. Bradley asked.

"So I can get my state license of course, and then I could help father."

"You never know Selim, maybe you will help me out someday," Bradley added.

* * *

**AN: Thanks for reading and as always review, favorite, or follow. XD**


	15. Envoy From the East

**AN: Alright everyone, I'm sad to say that I officially kick off my senior year of high school tomorrow. Everyone says that junior year is the most stressful year and that was proven so I'm hoping senior year is as easy as said too. I've decided to try to get in chapter 16 this weekend because I shouldn't have any homework the first two days so I'll have some free time. If not, my updating schedule will try to be every two weeks during the weekend. In case of any delays I'll be posting news on my profile along with my twitter handle so you can ask me any questions there or just PM me here. Updates can be guaranteed during breaks though, even if I have things to do I will force myself to finish those things beforehand and update immediately. **

**Well, enough of my ranting. I'd like to thank guest reviewer Jessie for reviewing the last chapter. Over 900 views people! I'm gonna have my 1,000 soon! Thanks to everyone who's read this story so far, I hope you'll stick with me during this school year through my crazy schedule. Everyone enjoy and if you haven't started school yet consider yourself lucky.**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Envoy From the East**

"So you dare challenge Giolio Comanche, the Silver Alchemist, in battle, do you? You've got guts I'll give you that. However," he said as he transmuted chain-linked arrows at the serial state alchemist killer, Scar. The killer destroyed the weapons on contact, prompting the state alchemist to transmute a pair of shurikan in his direction. Scar jumped out of the propelling weapons path and tried destroying the ground underneath Comanche, but the old alchemist backed away and transmuted a sword. Mirroring a spinning top, he charged towards Scar as his opponent did the same. "Not bad, not bad at all," Comanche remarked, looking at the cut on Scar's leg as he perched up on railing. "You got off with just a scratch."

"You can't say the same," Scar replied. The peg leg the alchemist had been perched on disintegrated under him, throwing his footing off. He fell into the river with Scar jumping in not too far behind. The once clear blue water turned into a crimson pool beneath the moonlight.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"What's going on?" Scar asked upon entering an abandoned shack. "Who is this?"

"Oh sir, you've returned," Yoki stated. "Welcome back."

"I said who is this!"

"Pleased to meet you," the little girl said. "My name is May Chang, sir. I was collapsed by the side of the road. Your master, Mister Yoki, revived me and brought me back here."

"Master?" Scar questioned, noticing Yoki turn away out of the corner of his eye. "If you've recovered there's no need for you to stay, be on your way at once." May looked to be around thirteen years old despite her small stature. She had black hair that were tied into little buns on her head but flowed into three smaller braids. She wore a foreign pink kimono top and some gray pants with small black flats. On her shoulder she had a small panda, which could easily be mistaken for a cat. When May noticed the open wound on Scar's leg, she sprang up and ran towards him. "What girl?"

"Allow me to close your wound," she replied. She drew a circle on the ground using some spare chalk she had. Within the circle she drew a star, each point containing a small kunai on it. She placed her hands on the array, giving off blue lights and successfully closing Scar's wound.

"It's healed," Yoki remarked.

"It's a skill called alkahestry from the land of Xing," May proudly said.

"She's from Xing?" Scar asked.

"That's right sir, from Xing. This girl crossed the desert from the East, by herself, to come here," Yoki answered. "Clearly ridiculous."

"No, I wasn't alone; I had her with me too."

"Her? You mean this creature right here?" Yoki asked, pointing towards the panda.

"That's right, her name is Shao May," May replied. She turned around, noticing Scar's outstretched arm. "Oh your arm, that's alkahestry right? The art of reading the dragon's pulse, of knowing the power that flows through the ground and how to use it. That tattoo matches the flow of alkahestry used in my homeland."

"My brother was a student of alchemy and alkahestry," Scar stated. "He conducted a great deal of research into both fields. The tattoo that I bear is a result of that research."

"That's incredible! Your brother must have really been something," May added.

"I'm not really sure what you two are talking about, but your wound is healed now, sir. We can be on our way to Central without any further delay," Yoki said, wiping away his look of confusion.

"That sounds great, I'll go get my things," May exclaimed.

"What do you think you're doing? Didn't he tell you to shove off kid?" Yoki retorted. "We're not exactly going to Central for a picnic, you know."

"I know but I meant what I told you," May replied.

"You mean all the immortality stuff you were blabbering about earlier?" Yoki asked. "There's no such thing."

"Yes there is and I came to find it!"

"Oh, shut up! Kids don't know anything," Yoki said as he pointed a finger at the little girl. To retaliate, Shao May jumped and bit Yoki's finger, causing the man to scream and run around in pain.

'_I already know that immortality can't be accomplished by alkahestry, but it is possible through the use of alchemy. That's why I have to find him, the incredible man I've heard so much about,' _June thought. _'They say his hair and eyes are golden like the sun. He wears a dashing red coat as he strides forth to save people in need. The brilliant state alchemist, Edward Elric!" _The two men watched on as she fawned over an exaggerated princely version of Edward in her mind…somewhere out in Rush Valley a certain brown-blue eyed girl would be laughing her ass off at the imagined version.

"What do we do about her?" Yoki asked, staring at the now blushing, giggly girl.

"Suit yourself, girl."

* * *

"Black Hayate, what's gotten into you boy?" Riza asked as she noticed her dog growl. Clutching her bag of groceries in one hand and leash in the other, she tried searching for what was troubling the canine.

"It's dangerous to be out walking the streets alone at this hour," a figure remarked as it emerged from the shadows, prompting Riza to drop the leash. "You never know when you might meet the terrible serial killer feared by all, Barry the Chopper!" The smart Lieutenant pulled out a gun from her bag of groceries and started firing at Barry. "Not fair! Why'd you have to pull a gun for?" The comment didn't stop the onslaught of bullets from continuing as Riza pulled out another gun from a strap around her thigh from beneath the slit of her long skirt. "Alright that's it lady, now I'm gonna hear you scream!" he added as he lifted his helmet head, showing his empty suit of armor. Riza paused for a second and observed the hollow form quietly, but after a moment, she shot Barry's head out of his hands. "Hey, how come you're not paralyzed with fear?"

"You actually remind me of someone else I know," Riza replied.

"Let me guess, Alphonse something or other."

"You've met Alphonse before?"

"Oh, so the guy's a friend of yours, is he?" Barry replied, adjusting his head back on. In the meantime, being the adorably killer puppy that he is, Black Hayate nibbled on Barry's cloak. "I'm gonna tell you something sweetheart, you are one strong woman."

…

After calling two of her comrades, Riza took Barry to military storehouse number five. Black Hayate was ordered to stand guard outside in the nightlight. "The Philosopher's Stone?" Mustang asked.

"I can't believe the Fifth Laboratory was being used to make something like that," Falman added.

"It gets worse, there's a chance that military senior staff was involved as well," Riza noted.

"Plus, there were those other two, Lust and Envy. Are they the one's who made you into what you are now?" Mustang asked.

"No, it was the researchers who did that," Barry replied. "Ripped my soul right out of my body and slapped it into this suit of armor you see here."

"We can track down these so called researchers," Falman suggested. "If we find them, maybe they can tell us who ordered the experiments."

"Fat chance of that, they were all used to create Philosopher's Stones," Barry added. "There's not a single one of them left alive."

"Silenced and used as ingredients, how efficiently planned," Roy remarked.

"Do you think this means they have everything they need or will they try to make additional studies?" Riza asked.

"I have one more question for you," Roy stated, ignoring the Lieutenant's question. "A little over a month ago, a military officer was killed in a telephone booth in Central. Were you the one who did it?" Falman and Hawkeye looked at Mustang in concern, wondering what he would ever do to the killer if he ever found him.

"No, doesn't sound familiar. Was he all chopped up?"

Closing the notepad he had been taking notes in, he closed his eyes and sighed. "Never mind."

* * *

"Hello there, Alyson," Edward merrily said. "You look like you're in a very generous mood today."

"Hey Ed. Hey Brandon, Al. What are you doing showing up like this?" Alyson asked. Knowing the expected reaction, Brandon and Alphonse backed away as Edward held up the battered automail arm. As predicted, Edward was lying on the floor after taking a rather gruesome beating from a wrench while Aly wrapped his arm. "Even Paninya's holding down an honest job now and you three still can't stay out of trouble without two girls supervising you?"

"Really, she is?" Al asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, she's given up her former life as a pickpocket and now she earns her money by fixing roofs and doing other odd jobs around town," Katy replied, recently joining the others when Edward was being pummeled to a pulp.

"And what about the three of you?" Alyson asked. "Made any progress yet?"

"Yeah, we have," Brandon replied. "It's still going though."

"We're still moving ahead little by little, I guess," Edward remarked.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it. You'll have to inform us about what you discovered later," Alyson said, tying off the bandage. "Alright, I've done all I can for now."

"Thanks Aly."

"I'm missing some parts so you'll have to make do with the patch job," she added. "We'll go get what we need, until then you've got some time to kill."

…

"Kill some time, huh?" Edward said as he sipped some orange juice. "Yeah, how do we do that in a town made up entirely of automail shops?" He noticed the lack of footsteps behind him, looking back to find Al and Brandon's attention had drifted to an alleyway. "Guys?"

"Brother?"

"What now? Did you find a stray cat or something?"

"Um…well no," Brandon answered as he pointed to the body Al held up, prompting Edward to do a spit take.

…

"That feels so much better; you guys are lifesavers, thanks a lot. Your treat, right?" the formerly guy stated after downing plate after plate of food. Even a crowd gathered around the restaurant table as the stared in awe of the empty plates.

"When did I say I was paying?" Edward snapped back.

"Let's not quibble over something so small."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SMALL!"

"How lucky I am to have found such hospitality so far from home," the guy replied, wiping away a heartfelt tear.

"Far from home? You mean you're not from here?" Al asked.

"That's right, I came from Xing."

"Oh Xing, that's…the country east of the desert," Brandon remarked, staring at the foreigner in awe.

"Yeah, and crossing that desert was rough, let me tell you," the foreigner replied.

"Why in the world would you take that route?" Al asked.

"I wanted to visit the ruins of Xerxes," the Xingese traveler replied. "That route goes by them."

"Xerxes ruins? I heard there's next to nothing out there," Edward added.

"I wanted to see for myself. Anyway, I was headed here to do some alkahestry research."

"Alkahestry?" Edward asked.

"Yes, I believe it's what you here in this country call alchemy," the guy replied. "In Xing it's known as alkahestry. It's mainly used in the medical professions."

"Huh? Different countries, different customs I guess," Edward remarked. "Here, alchemy's use is mainly military; it's not hard to see why. Even now we still have skirmishes at the borders of Aerugo to the South and Creta to the West. North of us is the huge country, Drachma; we have a tentative nonaggression pact with them and Briggs Mountains stands between us, making invasion difficult but our relationship is still dicey at the best."

"Sounds like you guys have got your hands full, alright."

"Things began to move more toward the militaristic when the current Fuhrer, King Bradley, first came into power," Edward added.

"I have to say, I'm curious about alkahestry," Al stated. "A branch of alchemy that's medically specialized."

"I'm curious too," Brandon chimed in.

"By any chance, are the three of you guys alchemists?" the foreigner asked, leaning against his hand.

"Yeah, we are actually. I'm Edward Elric, a state alchemist."

"And I'm his younger brother, Alphonse Elric. It's nice to meet you."

"And I'm Brandon Piers, also a state alchemist."

"My name's Ling Yao, it's a pleasure."

"So Ling, what else can you tell us about alkahestry? We'd sure love to learn more," Edward said.

"Nothing," Ling bluntly replied. "Yeah sorry, but I'm not actually an alkahestrist."

"If you don't practice alkahestry why come all the way to research it?" Edward asked, now annoyed with the Xingese traveler.

"Well, you see, I'm looking for something. It's possible that you three have heard of it before. The Philosopher's Stone," Ling replied, making the boys freeze in place. "I'm very eager to find it. Do you know anything about it?"

"No, we can't help you," Edward answered, getting up from his seat to turn away.

"You wouldn't be lying to me, now would you?" Ling said with a snap of his fingers. In an instant, two masked people had the boys surrounded, one of them holding up a knife to Edward's throat while the other restrained the other two. "So, do you have something to tell me?"

"Why the interest in the Philosopher's Stone?" Edward asked.

"I want to achieve immortality," Ling replied. "Out with it, what do you know?"

"Immortality, please," Edward scoffed. "What a bunch of nonsense."

"Not to me it isn't."

"In any case, I can't say I really care too much for your way of asking questions," Edward added, pushing the blade away from his face. "Kind of rude, don't you think?" He tried punching the guard that held the knife to his throat only for the masked person to leap into the air and come down to kick Edward.

"Brother!" Al called out, pushing out the guard's sword from his armor.

"You're going to fight us too," the other guard said.

"Hey, hold on!" Brandon exclaimed, only to have the guard kick him and Alphonse to the ground.

"Gees, is that guy an acrobat?" Edward muttered.

"Must be a Xingese fighting style," Alphonse murmured.

"Could be tough to beat," Brandon noted.

"Even so, they're still not as strong," Edward started.

"As Teacher," Al finished.

The guards started charging for the three boys and in response Al and Ed transmuted barriers to halt them. Brandon used his own telekinesis to move objects in front of the guards. The fight broke off into two different areas as the boys each took their confronted guard. "Off they go," Ling casually remarked as he took in the view of the struggle. "Hey pops, let's add some desert on my tab."

…

Edward transmuted a small portion of a pipe into a small rod, attempting to hit the guard who avoided each strike. In fact, Edward was the one to receive a few punches. If Edward tried to retaliate, the guard swung his arm around Ed's only for Ed to kick him off. "Damn, you're persistent," Edward said. "Picking a fight like this just because I won't give you information. What are you guys after? You and your boss with the freaky closed eyes?" The guard tried gouging out Edward's eyes but this time the alchemist was the one to land a kick straight at the guard's head. "Hey, I landed one!" The guard was then able to retaliate with a kick of their own, sending him crashing into the wall. _'That's strange, as soon as I insulted Ling this guy completely lost it,'_ he thought before the realization hit him and a smirk grazed his face.

…

"Hey, long time no see Paninya," Alphonse stuttered out as he and Brandon ran down the street.

"What in the world are you doing here, guys?" she asked, jogging alongside the two. "Besides getting yourselves into more trouble."

"About that, can we ask you for a favor?" Brandon added.

'_Strange, every living_ _person emits a flow of chi and I don't sense one from the suit of armor while the other has a large quantity_,' the guard thought. _'What are they?'_ The boys and Paninya stopped ahead of the old man, waiting for his approach. "You think the aid of one person will do you any good? How very foolish of you!"

…

"What's the matter, you're starting to slow down a little," Edward remarked as he avoided the guard's hits. "If this is the best his flunkies can manage, that bastard Ling must be pretty pathetic too."

The comment caused the guard's eyes to narrow before he charged towards Ed, as he had anticipated. _'Alright, just like before. As soon as I insult his boss, this guy immediately loses his cool and when that happens…'_ he thought before striking the guard's stomach. "His attacks become weak and useless." He elbowed the masked assailant in the stomach before clapping his hands together and reaching for the mask. "Now then, I think it's about time for me to have a look at your face. Shock etched into his features as he looked at who he was fighting. "A girl?" The Xingese girl sent a kunai straight for a wire in his automail, rendering it useless before pulling the cord off a small black orb. At that same moment, a missile in Paninya's automail leg was preparing to fire as the little orb lit before Ed's face.

Jumping back onto the town sign, the old guard looked above the smoke._ 'She has a cannon in her prosthetic. This country is a place to be reckoned with,' _thought the his surprise, he saw Al and Brandon emerge from the debris. When Alphonse was close, he clapped his bare hands and restrained the guard to the town's welcome sign. "Not too bad, Al," Brandon remarked.

"Yeah, considering it's my first time," Al replied as he took off the guard's mask.

"It's alkahestry, but without an array," the old guard commented.

"Now I wonder how things are going on Brother's end."

…

"I overdid it, look at this place. Master Ling will be furious," the female guard remarked as she picked up Ed's automail arm. She didn't realize she had activated a trap in lifting the ruined arm. In a blink of an eye, she was suspended in the air with a rope around her waist.

"Hey girly! You should be more careful about where you use that thing. It would've killed anybody else," Edward said as he picked up what was left of his arm.

"But how? You removed your own arm?

"I spent a fair amount of time hunting rabbits when I was a little kid. Setting a trap for you was easy."

"Brother." "Edward." two voices called out.

"Oh hey, Al. Brandon."

"Okay guys, good work," Ling exclaimed, popping out nowhere.

"Why you, what are you so chipper about?" Edward angrily asked.

"You guys have got some pretty impressive skills," Ling replied, ignoring Edward's annoyance. "I know, come work for me and together we can take over this country. What do you say?"

"I've had enough of your idiotic chattering," Edward screamed. "Just go back to Xing!"

"Look, there they are!" a man yelled. "Look at the mess you've made, you practically destroyed our town."

"You're covering the damages," another bulky guy added.

"And your restaurant bill too," the restaurant owner remarked with the wave of the paper.

"Hey wait, just hold on a second," Edward countered. "This guy and his entourage should be paying for everything."

"So sorry, I don't understand much language of this country. Okay, bye-bye now," Ling stuttered out before running away.

"HEY YOU GET THE HELL BACK HERE!"

"Guys, he ran away!" Brandon yelled, referring to the old man.

"The other one did too!" Edward cried out, looking at his now empty trap. "You've got to be kidding, how am I supposed to fix up this place up with only one arm?"

"It's okay Brother, I'll take care of it."

"What? You mean you can do alchemy without a transmutation circle now?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, I think it's because of the memories I recovered," Al answered.

'_Then that means…' _Edward thought. On a scale, he had alchemic technique and what he deemed as older brother dignity. Alphonse, on the other hand, only had height over him which tipped the favor towards Ed. Adding alchemic technique to Al's side, the scale wasn't just tipped over but basically annihilated Edward's side, making his older brother dignity die at that instant. "Don't worry; you can leave this all to me." He noticed the dejected state Edward fell into and stared at him for a minute. "What's the matter, Brother?"

* * *

"We're back!" the boys exclaimed.

"Hello, we meet again," Ling replied with a smile as he held a cup of tea in his hand.

Edward didn't hold back, walking towards Ling and hitting him over the head with his broken automail. "What's your sorry butt doing here?!"

"Now, now we're all friend's here, right?"

"That's how you treat your friends?" Edward asked threateningly. "By sticking your dogs on them? Those two didn't go easy!"

"Let it go, I promise I'll give them a talking to later," Ling said. "The girl's name is Lan-Fan; the old man is called Fu. Their family has served mine for generations; they're quite good at what they do."

"Oh, so you shake down strangers for food and yet you can somehow afford two personal attendants," Edward remarked.

"Well, I am the Emperor's son after all."

"Huh?" the three boys questioned. "Emperor's son? That makes you…a prince!" Not before long, the three collapsed on the floor from laughter.

"Not the reaction I anticipated."

"Sorry, we just didn't see that coming," Alphonse said, trying as hard as he could to stop laughing.

"Yeah, the guy who collapsed on the road and then mooched food off of us is the son of an Emperor," Edward added before a blade whizzed through the air, nailing itself inches away from his head. It at least got the desired reaction, ceasing the laughter while instilling fear.

"You will not speak badly about Master Ling," Lan-Fan warned from outside the window.

"Great to see you," Edward sarcastically replied.

"No, you're probably right," Ling stated. "It's not actually that big a deal; the Emperor has a lot of sons. It's like this, my country Xing is broken up between fifty different clans with an Emperor at the top reigning over them. The daughter of each clan's chief becomes one of the Emperor's wives and bears his children. The current Emperor has nineteen daughters and twenty four sons. I come in at number twelve in that line up."

"Forty three kids? That's incredible!" Edward exclaimed.

"The issue of succession must be a tricky one," Brandon noted.

"Indeed it is, that's the problem we're facing right now. The Emperor's health has begun to deteriorate recently. Each clan is doing everything they can to curry favor and I'm no exception."

"You want to up your chances by discovering the secret of immortality," Edward stated with a note of finality.

"Exactly," Ling answered. "Okay, the Philosopher's Stone, what information can you offer?"

"Not happening," Edward replied. "The Stone isn't a tool for some political gain."

"Then I'll have to stay with you until you tell me," Ling said as he aggressively hugged the tiny alchemist.

"Oh no you don't! Get off of me!"

"We're back." The voice caused Edward to nearly have a panic attack, freezing his attacks on Ling's head with his automail. "Did you see that? There was some kind of fight on Main Street so it took a while to " Alyson started as she took in the state of the battered limb. "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR ARM? EDWARD ELRIC, YOU CARELESS LITTLE JERK!"

Ling stood against the wall by the window, smiling despite Edward being brutally assaulted with tools or anything else Alyson could find within arm's reach. "Young lord," Fu said, hanging upside from the roof. "Why do you put up with this boy?" Fu asked. "There's no need to bow down to someone so far beneath you."

"If all it takes is a little bowing I'll consider it a small price to pay. The fate of five hundred thousand Yao clansmen rides on this, we can't worry so much about appearances."

…

"So, where are you headed to break your automail this time?" Alyson asked as she tried to perform a miracle on the steel mechanism.

"You just assume I'll break it?"

"We're thinking about doing some digging in Central," Al answered.

"You guys are going back to Central?" Katy asked. "We want to come too! Take us with you!"

"What do you guys want to go there for?" Brandon asked.

"We'd like to go see the Hughes family again," Alyson said.

"But don't you have a lot of work to do here?" Al added.

"It's okay if you want to go, girls. Your training is basically finished; there wasn't much you had to learn," the femininely dressed automail engineer noted.

"Really?" the girls stated. "Thanks so much Mister Garfiel."

"Okay, we'll all go," Edward agreed.

"Central here we come!" Al and Brandon cried out.

"We're going to Central! How exciting!" Ling remarked, ruining the joyous moment as he hung upside down outside the window.

"I TOLD YOU, YOU'RE NOT COMING WITH US!"

* * *

"So the little girl is coming with us after all?" Yoki remarked as he steered the carriage, lulling the girl and her panda to sleep. "Sir, there's something I've been meaning to ask you, you never have told me what your name is. If you don't mind, I would very much like to know it."

"Ishvalan names are sacred; Ishvalan people take great pride in speaking their names aloud as they are gifts from God," Scar replied.

"Well then sir, your name must be a special one indeed."

"I have renounced my Ishvalan name. Now go, keep moving!" Scar barked, breaking two walnuts in his bare hand. "I'm walking down a path of no return, so I will leave behind me every gift I've received from God."

* * *

**Thanks for reading! As always please review, follow or favorite. Hopefully I'll see you guys this weekend!**


	16. Footsteps of a Comrade-in-Arms

**AN: Hey everybody, sorry for the huge delay. I'm not dead, not yet anyway. Senior year has been stressful lately, you would think because you're almost done with high school they'd lighten up the load, but nope...pretty much the opposite. And then there's applying for college, so far I've been accepted into my top choice but I'm still waiting on the other 2 I applied to. Anyway, I spent all day today typing and editing this so I'm back for this latest update. Updates may be sporadic from now on because I don't really get a lot of time during the week to type up a chapter and on the weekends I really just want to sleep. But I'll try my best to get stuff up ASAP for my dear readers.**

**On a happier note, I finally got a Deviantart account so please look me up at EbonyLawliet86 and look through my gallery. I have 4 OC drawing for this story on there, you'll finally get to see what Alyson, Katy, and Brandon look like! And if you want to submit any artwork for this story as it progresses, please DM me the link here or reach me on Deviantart. **

**I'd like to thank TayeTalfeli and starrat for reviewing the last story has officially gotten more than 1,000 views! Please keep the reviews, favorites and follows coming through, makes my year so much better to hear from you guys. I hope you enjoy Chapter 16 of Tangled Souls. Be prepared to grab a tissue box for this chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 16: Footsteps of a Comrade-in-Arms**

"Man, I'm beat," Edward complained, yawning as he stretched out his arms as he got off the train.

"Being spied on for hours will do that," Alphonse added.

"Mister Fu and Lan-Fan were keeping eyes on us the whole time?" Alyson asked, getting a small nod from Al in response.

"Hey!" The five alchemists turned around to find Fu and Lan-Fan on top of the train. "Where's the young lord?"

"He's not here," Al replied as he searched the area.

"I don't know, maybe he ran off again," Katy noted.

"Good grief, I can't take my eyes off of him for a second," Fu said, running down to the end of the train. "Young lord! Where have you taken off to this time?"

"What if he's collapsed somewhere again?" Lan-Fan questioned.

"If so, I'd say it's a relief," Edward bluntly remarked as he started walking away with his luggage in hand. "Let's go."

"Coming!" the other four called out.

"MASTER LING! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Outside, Ling stood at the roof of Central Train Station, looking at the vast city that was Central. "Something about this country doesn't feel right."

* * *

"It's me, I'm just checking in," Havoc said as he knocked on the rundown door, a basket in hand. When the door opened, an exhausted Falman appeared. "You're doing well," he added, handing over the basket. "Here, it's from the Colonel."

"Hey, it's the smoking guy!" Barry exclaimed from his seat.

"How's it going? You won a single game yet?" Havoc asked, eyeing the chessboard.

"Not even close, but this game is boring anyway. Hey, since its night now, can I go cut someone up, right?"

"Of course not."

"You gotta give me something," Barry whined. "At least bring that Hawkeye lady for a visit."

"Yeah, I'll let her know that you're interested."

"He's not the only one who's bored," Falman voiced in. "How much longer am I stuck here keeping watch on this guy anyway? What does the Colonel say?"

"The Colonel apologizes for having to give you such a dangerous assignment," Havoc replied, checking off each point on his fingers. "He also says don't worry about your other duties; your absence is being treated as sick leave. But, if anyone, even military personnel outside of our unit sees you, he'll have you court marshaled before you can blink. That is all."

"I don't suppose you have any news of the happier sort to report?" a deeply frustrated Falman asked.

"Indeed."

"What is it?"

"Falman, I found myself a girlfriend!" Havoc happily rejoiced, crushing Falman's last once of hope. "She's been really sweet, helping me adjust to the move here and everything. Boy, is she hot!"

"Do you think this new girl would be fun to cut up?" Barry casually asked. "Come on, what do you say?"

"Would you please just get out of here?"

* * *

"Hey, are you okay?" a soldier kindly asked as he passed a weak stated Ling.

"…Food…"

"Collapsed by the side of the road, huh? Where'd you come from?" the soldier pressed on, only receiving mumbles. "What's that, from Xing you say? Well, you are a long way from home alright. I'll need to see your entry visa, please." Of course, the young prince had no such document so he was hauled away by the MPs and labeled an illegal alien.

…

"YOUNG MASTER!" Fu yelled. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

"He's in trouble again, he's collapsed I'm sure of it," Lan-Fan added, spreading her negativity into the atmosphere.

"Okay, guess we should stop by the military offices first," Edward remarked.

"Right."

"In that case, I think Katy and I will go straight to the Hughes' house and let them know we're in town," Alyson replied. "I can't wait to see Miss Gracia and cute little Alicia. Give Hughes our regards."

"Sounds good, we shouldn't be all that far behind you," Edward added.

"Okay, well we'll see you three later," Katy replied as the two girls clutched their luggage and ran off.

"I wonder if Lieutenant Colonel Hughes has put together any information on the Philosopher's Stone since we left," Brandon stated.

"The Fuhrer was pretty clear in his orders regarding that," Alphonse replied. "I think its best if we give Hughes the information that we found out first."

"The homunculi," Brandon whispered.

"Yeah," Edward agreed, "I'm pretty sure Hughes said he was in the court martial office. This way."

* * *

"Sheska…Sheska!"

"Yes?" she turned, holding a stack of files in her arms.

"You have the key for room number three, don't you?"

"Yes," the nervous former librarian replied. "Wait! You said room number three, right? It's still a total mess from when I was using it earlier."

"Its fine, I just needed to gather some documents, that's all," the woman replied, holding out her left hand for the key.

"Nope really, please don't. If you could just wait a moment I'll clean it right up for you…"

"Okay then, I can come back later for the keys. Please make sure it's taken care of."

"Yes ma'am." When the woman was out of sight, Sheska took out her key with a sigh of relief and carefully opened the door. "Um…excuse me, Colonel Mustang?" she whispered. As she had pointed out, Mustang was indeed in the room…using a stack of books as a head rest and other covering his face as he took a little nap.

"Hello Sheska," Mustang groggily said as he slowly sat up. "How long was I asleep?"

"About ten minutes, I think."

With a long yawn, Mustang stood up and looked at his pocket watch as he checked the time. "Council meeting is about to start."

"Colonel, perhaps this is none of my business, but maybe you should try to get a little more rest?" Sheska suggested as Mustang made his way out of room three.

"Yeah, I'll be back." Sheska watched as Mustang left the room and slowly walked down the silent hall.

"Was that Colonel Mustang that just left?"

"Captain Focker, sir! Good morning, nice day, isn't it?" Sheska said, trying to distract the Captain.

"Good morning to you, Sheska. Tell me, what was he doing here, the Colonel?"

"Well…you see…"

"The store room door is open."

"I'm sorry, I opened it, sir," Sheska replied, bowing down to her superior.

"I bet the Colonel twisted your arm, didn't he? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"I really appreciate that, sir."

"Although, I do wonder what the Colonel was looking into. Do you know?"

Sheska's expression went from nervous to somber in an instant. "I'm not one hundred percent certain of all of the details. He did ask if there were any materials having to do with the Fifth Laboratory and also, he was looking into the Hughes case. You know, I got my job here through General Hughes."

"Yes, I remember. Well, I've got tons of work to do. Carry on Sheska."

"Yes sir," she replied as the Captain passed her by, placing his hand on her shoulder.

As he walked down the hall, the "Captain" saw another Captain Focker making his way with some reports in hand. As the real Focker read the files, a soldier passed him by, small red sparks emitting from the back of his head. The soldier smirked over his shoulder as he watched the Captain go on his way.

"Good morning, Sheska."

"Sir?" Sheska questioned, taking the files into her arms again. "What the ?"

* * *

In the men's bathroom, Mustang was washing his face with cold water, trying to fight his fatigue. When he turned off the water and toweled off, he stared at his grim, tired reflection. It was quiet and peaceful, until…

"Hello sir," Major Armstrong said.

"Hey."

"Colonel, you look like you've lost some weight," the Major added as he washed his hands.

"Maybe, but what happened to you?" the Colonel replied, taking not of Armstrong's multiple injuries.

"There was an…incident down in the South," he answered. "But don't you worry, it's just a scratch."

"I see."

"I ran into the Elric brothers and the younger Piers sibling down there. Apparently, they'd gone to Dublith to pay a visit to an old teacher. The girls, well, they were staying in Rush Valley."

"Major, did you tell them about Hughes' death?"

"No, I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"They'll find out eventually you know, all of them."

"Yes, I know," the Major replied, making his way to the exit.

"The Fifth Laboratory and the Philosopher's Stone, the Stone's key ingredients are live humans," Mustang stated, causing Armstrong to hesitate. "Hughes always did enjoy helping other people. This time he stuck his nose into the T:5s investigation and found out something he would've been better off not knowing. Am I wrong? If the T:5s found out what really happened to him, that he died trying to help them, they would blame themselves. So you not telling them was kind."

"You've got it all figured out, don't you?"

"I'm almost there," the Colonel replied as he adjusted his uniform.

"Be careful sir. You never know who might be listening in on you or where. If you'll excuse me."

…

"Lieutenant Hawkeye?" Edward questioned, waking Riza up from her relaxed state.

"Hey guys, it's been awhile," she replied, pushing herself off from against the wall.

"If the Lieutenant's here, that means so is "

"Thanks for waiting," Mustang said, cutting off the short alchemist.

"Yup, the Colonel."

"Well, hello Fullmetal."

"Colonel Mustang, what are you doing here in Central?" Edward asked, trying to control his annoyance.

"You didn't hear? I was transferred to this branch last month," Mustang replied.

"Great," Edward replied with an all too happy tone.

"And you guys, what brings you here?"

"We're just doing some information gathering," he answered.

"And we were thinking that we'd pay Lieutenant Colonel Hughes a visit a little later today," Brandon added. The comment caused Mustang to go to a state of shock and Hawkeye to stare down at the floor.

"Where is he anyway?" Edward asked.

"Not here," Mustang answered. "He retired out in the country and took his wife and daughter with him, to take over the family business. So, he's not here."

"Oh, I see. Well, that's too bad," Edward stated.

"We were hoping to see him," Al added.

Mustang started to turn away, stopping himself short. "Fullmetal, watch yourself. Don't do anything crazy."

"Okay," Edward replied, watching the Colonel walk away afterwards.

"Now you've decided to treat them like children?" Hawkeye remarked once they were out of hearing range as she followed behind Mustang.

"There's no need for them to know just yet," Mustang replied. "The fewer obstacles that stand in their ways right now, the better."

"Colonel, they are going to find out some day."

"It's funny," Mustang said, stopping in his stride. "I've accused Armstrong of being soft, but right now I'm no better than he is."

"I fail to see anything soft about it," Hawkeye retorted, making the Colonel look directly into her eyes. "It's cruel, Colonel."

…

"I can't believe Hughes is actually gone," Edward stated.

"I almost forgot, we need to tell my sister and Alyson about this," Brandon added. "They went straight to the Hughes house."

"Yeah, you're right," Edward said as he started sprinting down the hall, running into a familiar someone. "Lieutenant Ross?"

"I haven't seen you three here in awhile. You're in a hurry, why the rush?"

"We just heard about Lieutenant Colonel Hughes," Edward replied.

"It's kind of rough news, huh?" she asked, her appearance showing her grief.

"There was still so much that we wanted to tell him about," Alphonse added.

"We would have liked to say goodbye," Brandon said.

"We weren't able to reach you," Ross replied. "Don't worry though, the military gave him a proper send off."

"Wow, that was nice," Al remarked.

"That's how it's done. Also, if you boys haven't heard already, I'm sure you'll be glad to know he was promoted, two whole ranks."

"Up to Brigadier General?" Edward asked.

"He retired to the country and they promoted him?" Brandon questioned.

Ross covered her mouth with her hands as she looked at all three boys. "Lieutenant Ross?" Edward asked as he took in her expression. After a minute, it dawned on him what had happened.

* * *

"And here you are, Miss."

"Thank you," Aly said as she took the basket of apples the shopkeeper had organized for her. Katy and Aly looked at the apples and smiled, they couldn't wait to see the Hughes family once again.

* * *

"No, not the Lieutenant Colonel. Why him?" Edward asked, his voice shaking as he held back tears. No sooner did Edward drop his luggage to the ground, running out of Central HQ with Alphonse and Brandon after him. As he ran down the streets of Central, he could still remember Ross's words: _'Brigadier General Hughes is dead. He was murdered shortly after you and Alyson were discharged from the hospital. I'm afraid we still haven't found the person responsible.'_

'_It's all our fault, we pulled him into this. It's all our fault,' _Edward thought, running into an alley and rested himself against the brick wall.

'_Okay, you all have a safe trip. Stop in and give me a shout the next time you make it to Central.'_

'_Alphonse, how are you going to eat with that armor on? Take it off, relax.'_

'_T:5s, I understand you don't have a place to stay which means you'll have to come with me.'_

Their encounters with Hughes all started rushing through Ed's head, causing him to get angrier and to feel even guiltier. Alphonse and Brandon made their way behind Edward, watching him as he slid to the floor.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Daddy!" Alicia exclaimed as she opened the door. Alyson and Katy smiled down at the girl whose happiness vanished. Alicia ran towards Alyson, wrapping her arms around the older girl's legs as she cried. Aly and Katy looked at Alicia in surprise and looked up to see Mrs. Hughes smiling, eyes threatening to spill into tears.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"What do we do?" Alphonse asked as the boys stood in front of the Hughes home.

"We tell it like it is," Edward replied. "You both go back. Out of all of us, I'm the only one who has to take the blame for what happened."

"Ed, this isn't just your problem," Brandon stated. "It's all of ours, like it or not we're going in with you."

"Thanks guys, but you really don't have to "

"We've made up our minds," Alphonse added. "We said we were getting our bodies back, no matter what. But if people are going to die because of that, then I don't want mine back."

"Same deal," Brandon said as he kicked a pebble into the street. "Getting back my normal body isn't worth having people around me die. I'd rather die myself than have someone else suffer."

…

When Gracia opened the door, she saw all three of the boys in the doorway. "Alyson and Katy are already inside."

"Right," Edward said as Gracia invited them in. When Edward first stepped into the living room, he immediately noticed the girl's situation. Katy was sitting on the couch, resting her head on her hands. Alyson was sitting on the opposite couch, the fifteen year old looking down at Alicia who she wrapped into her arms. He knew that the two girls would be deeply affected just like the rest of them, but he also understood that this was all too familiar for Alyson. "Alyson," Edward softly said, making her look up to show him her red, puffy eyes. "Miss Gracia, I'm sorry, but there's something I need to talk to you about, if I may."

"About Maes?"

"That's right. Katy, Alyson, you too."

…

"So Maes learned things about the Philosopher's Stone that someone didn't want him to know," Gracia stated as she held a sleeping Alicia in her arms. "His death was a message, a warning to you from whomever did it to back off from all of this."

"Yeah, we basically dragged him into it," Edward replied. "We're sorry."

Alyson's voice dropped to a whisper, not being able to contain her tears anymore. "So sorry."

"That would be just like him, dying while trying to help somebody else," Gracia replied, confusing etching into the teens faces. "My husband, he always was a busybody and a meddler and it got him into trouble a lot. But you know, I don't think he ever had regrets. Not any, not even in his dying moments, Edward."

"But we " Alyson tried pushing on.

"Don't tell me you're going to give up," Gracia said, causing Alyson to look at her straight in the eyes. "You can't let what happened defeat you. If you do, then that means my husband died in vain. Even if the Philosopher's Stone is a dead end, there might be some other way."

"Maybe, I guess," Alyson replied.

"You all have to keep moving forward, any way you can."

…

As Edward closed the door to the Hughes' house, the T:5s all had a guilty face. They stood in front of the door for awhile and then they heard the whimpering of the little girl on the other side:

"Mommy? Mommy, please don't cry."

Alyson tugged on her necklace, the one of the last connections to her father that she had. The necklace was the same alchemic symbol her teacher and father bore, the serpents cross or Flamel. Alicia's words had once escaped Alyson during a very similar situation. For that reason alone she felt guilty; she had been the cause of a wife and daughter losing both a husband and a father. She caused the same pain that she carried to another family.

The T:5s walked to Central Hotel in total silence and split paths upon their arrival. Katy and Brandon sat in the lobby in front of the fireplace in silence. Alphonse and Alyson walked upstairs and went into their respective rooms. Al sat on the floor against the couch, going through his own family memories. Alyson fell on her bed crying, reliving the day a soldier had come to her home and informed her and Celty that her father had been killed. Edward sat a table, food in front of him, but he had no will to eat.

…

"Alyson, you in there?" Edward said after knocking on Alyson's room, number 503. Alyson opened the door shortly after, meeting his eyes with her saddened. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? You might want to hurry, the dining room's closing soon."

"Mhmm."

"You know you have to eat…to keep up your strength."

"Mhmm."

"Okay, I'll go back to my room," Ed said as he turned to take his leave. Before he could leave, Alyson reached out and took his right hand.

…

"Apple pie?" Edward restated as he sat across Alyson in her dimly lit room.

"That's right, I practiced making it a few times. I know it might sound like I'm bragging, but I've gotten pretty good at it. Not nearly as great as Miss Gracia, but someday…" Alyson said her voice shaking slightly before she started crying once again. "I'd hoped…that Hughes would get to try some too." She couldn't rely on whatever emotional strength she had left; she broke down completely, forgetting that her best friend was there.

On his side, Edward had forgotten how weak and vulnerable Alyson could truly be. Ever since her father's death, she had become tougher on herself. He noticed a real change in her emotional personality after the human transmutations. It was like she tried blocking out all of her emotions so that no one would see how conflicted she truly was. Nowadays, she came close to breaking down when someone else's life hung in the balance. But when worst came to worst and she had to face the actual loss of someone, she couldn't handle it.

* * *

"So the nosey Colonel Mustang is snooping around in the Hughes matter?" Lust reaffirmed.

"Yeah," the soldier answered.

"Do you think he discover anything yet?"

"It's a definite possibility," he replied before morphing back to his original homunculus form. "So now what?"

"We already moved him to Central where we'd be able to keep a closer eye on him. Why can't he be a good boy and behave himself?" Lust stated in frustration. "I'd hate to waste an important sacrifice candidate."

"Haven't been able to learn anything from your new boyfriend?" Envy mockingly asked.

"Nothing, he's either a borne idiot or a clueless hustler," Lust replied. "I'm off to gather some more intelligence. Let's go, Gluttony."

"Come on, Gluttony. Don't leave your mess lying around," Envy complained, noticing a pile of bones. "You slob." All of a sudden a smirk came across Envy's face. "What you said before, about how much nicer it would be if the Flame Colonel behaved himself?"

"Yes?"

"How would you feel about us making another play?"

"You have something in mind?"

"Well we've got a noisy mutt, perhaps all he needs is a nice bone to chew on," Envy replied.

* * *

"Second Lieutenant Maria Ross, I'm Henry Douglas from the Provo's Marshalls Office."

"Do you need me for something?" Ross asked as she stood up from her seat in the dining hall.

"You'll have to come along with us. Your gun?"

"May I ask what this is about?" Ross said as she turned in her gun.

"You've been named as the primary suspect in the Brigadier General Hughes murder case. Please come along."

"That's absurd!"

"You can tell your side of it later, now let's go."

…

"Second Lieutenant Maria Ross, pleading not guilty to all charges," Hawkeye stated as Mustang looked over the case report.

"Gather any information you can about her," Mustang ordered. "Go now, quickly and secretly."

"Right."

* * *

"Excuse me, ma'am. I'd like a bouquet of these please," Havoc stated, pointing at some red roses.

"My, my, what's this? A hot date lover boy?"

…

"You've been waiting long, Solaris?" Havoc asked.

"Oh no, I just got here," Lust replied, under the alias of Solaris. She met her crimson eyes to his, smiling as she plotted her scheme. "It's so good to see you Jean. Why don't you sit down and tell me all about your day."

* * *

**As always review, favorite, and/or follow this story. I'll try to speed up the updates but I apologize in advance if I can't make it. Check my profile for any news on my update schedule. Thanks for reading!**


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